Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, also known as MSE, is an NHS foundation trust that delivers healthcare services to the population of mid and south Essex. As part of the National Health Service, it provides a range of acute, community and specialist care commissioned by local clinical commissioning groups. The trust operates under the NHS foundation trust model, which grants it greater financial and operational autonomy while remaining accountable to its local governors and members.

The organisation's headquarters are located in the United Kingdom, reflecting its national NHS affiliation. It serves the geographic area suggested by its name, covering the mid and south Essex region. In June 2024 the trust disclosed a cyber attack that affected a third‑party provider, Synnovis, which processes blood, urine and tissue samples for the trust. The breach resulted in the theft of 2,380 patient records containing names, dates of birth, NHS and patient numbers, postcodes and test results, which were subsequently published on the dark web.

The ransomware group Qilin claimed responsibility for the attack, describing the data theft as hasty and random. Although the compromised data did not originate from the trust’s own systems, the organisation has engaged external cyber‑security experts to review and strengthen its defences. It is also working to identify the individuals whose information was exposed so that they can be notified and offered appropriate support.