IT outage disrupts Southern Health Trust appointments as hospitals reconnect systems
Major incident forces cancellation of most planned surgeries and outpatient appointments; emergency departments urged to limit attendance as investigators work to restore service
An IT outage at the Southern Health Trust in Northern Ireland continued to disrupt routine care on Thursday as hospitals moved to reconnect systems after a major incident that began Wednesday. Most planned surgery and outpatient appointments across the trust’s network remained cancelled, with emergency departments signaling to reserve care for urgent cases. In Newry, ambulances were diverted away from Daisy Hill Hospital, and similar diversions were reported at Craigavon Area Hospital in County Armagh. Health authorities said an urgent investigation had been launched and urged the public to seek emergency care only when necessary.
The outage affected a range of electronic systems, including labs, patient records and radiology. Staff used backup pens and paper to document care as the digital networks were restored. The trust said the cause was not believed to be cyber related. In a late Wednesday update, the Southern Health Trust said the IT problems had been resolved and all systems were restored, with testing overnight and a phased reconnection planned for Thursday. The Department of Health said it was aware of a major incident and was pursuing an urgent inquiry to restore normal service as quickly as possible.
Covering Armagh, Down and Tyrone, the Southern Health Trust runs Daisy Hill and Craigavon hospitals, as well as South Tyrone Hospital in Dungannon, Lurgan Hospital and St Luke’s Hospital in County Armagh. While most planned procedures and outpatient slots were cancelled, the trust said community services were expected to operate normally on Thursday. Affected patients had been contacted and cancellations were to be rescheduled at the earliest opportunity.
Stephen Austin, the trust’s medical director, said patients already in hospital were being treated and that staff were coping well despite the disruption. He described the event as more challenging than usual and noted that some electronic functions for labs, patient records and radiology were unavailable. Staff had to rely on handwritten records and manual workflows to ensure safety and continuity of care, while other trusts had accepted diverted ambulances to keep patients moving. The trust expressed gratitude for the support from neighbouring trusts and the ambulance service.
Diane Dodds, a member of Stormont’s health committee, said the ambulance diversions added pressure on an already stretched system and called the cancellation of operations deeply disappointing for those on waiting lists. She said she would press the trust to reschedule appointments and procedures as quickly as possible, highlighting the ongoing strain across Northern Ireland’s health service.
Health officials said they will not speculate on the root cause while the urgent investigation continues and that the aim is to reconnect systems and restore normal operations as soon as possible. Like other trusts in Northern Ireland, the Southern Trust has recently migrated to a new fully digitised system to manage patient records, a transition that has heightened the focus on ensuring continuity during outages.
Although the incident is likely to prompt a review of incident response and recovery planning, health authorities stressed that the priority remains patient safety and access to emergency care. Officials cautioned that it would take time to return to full service, with rescheduled appointments and surgeries to follow in the coming days.
