Two hospitals declare critical incidents due to 'major IT failure'

14 January 2024 , 22:51

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Two hospitals have declared critical incidents due to a 'major IT failure' (Image: PA)

Two hospitals have declared critical incidents due to a "major IT failure" with two others also experiencing widespread technical issues.

The Royal Sussex and Princess Royal Hospitals have been hit, with St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester and Worthing Hospital are said to be coping with similar difficulties. The NHS say bringing its critical systems back to working order is a priority and teams are busy trying to fix the issue.

It has been reported that the ambulance service has been instructed not to transport patients to either Brighton or Haywards Heath. The public has been advised to not visit the A&E Departments of these hospitals "unless absolutely necessary". Telephone communication with the Brighton and Haywards Heath hospitals are currently unavailable.

The Princess Royal Hospitals in Sussex has also been plunged into chaos (Wikipedia)

University Hospitals Sussex said in a statement tonight: “We have declared a critical incident this evening after both the Royal Sussex County and Princess Royal hospitals were significantly affected by problems with IT and phone systems.

“This means that ambulances are being diverted and patients will be taken by the ambulance service to alternative hospitals to meet their needs. Please do not attend our emergency departments unless it is a lifesaving emergency.

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“Patients are being strongly advised to consider alternatives to these services apart from lifesaving emergencies. For any urgent health support, please use NHS 111 online or by phone to receive advice and direction to the most appropriate service.”

The NHS also offered a statement and it read: “St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester and Worthing Hospital are also affected to a lesser degree but are working to support the Royal Sussex County and Princess Royal hospitals and so are under considerable pressure as a result.

“Declaring a critical incident allows staff to focus on the needs of their patients and for the trust to seek support from local partners. The disruption is widespread and frontline teams are affected. Bringing IT systems back to normal is a priority and teams are working to do that this evening. We will update everyone further in due course.”

Sam Elliott-Gibbs