IT failure leaves staff at two hospitals relying on paper days before doctors strike
Staff revert to paper systems as IT outage hits hospitals
- Two major NHS hospitals in the South West, Cheltenham and Gloucestershire, experienced a significant IT outage on Wednesday, forcing staff to resort to paper systems.
- The NHS trust said the outage was due to a server issue, not a cyber-attack.
- This IT failure occurred just before a five-day resident doctor strike, which NHS leaders have warned could compromise patient safety.
- The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has urged the British Medical Association to suspend its guidance advising doctors not to disclose strike participation, citing difficulties in maintaining safe patient care.
- There is an ongoing dispute between the BMA and NHS England regarding the maintenance of routine care during the strikes, with the union arguing it would endanger patients.