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IT failure leaves staff at two hospitals relying on paper days before doctors strike

IT failure leaves staff at two hospitals relying on paper days before doctors strike

Independent24-07-2025
Staff at two major hospitals in the South West have been forced to resort to paper after a major incident brought IT systems down on the eve of the doctors' strikes.
Cheltenham and Gloucester NHS Foundation Trust suffered an IT outage on Wednesday, which it said was the result of a server issue, rather than a cyber incident.
The outage comes ahead of a five-day resident doctor strike, which NHS leaders have warned could risk patient safety as hospitals struggle to maintain both emergency and routine care.
In a statement on the IT failure, the trust said: 'Some services have been restored, others remain intermittently affected, and this is expected to continue throughout the day.'
'Our teams are working hard to fully restore systems and minimise any impact on patient care. We are prioritising safety and have well-established contingency plans in place to support our services.'
The Independent understands Cheltenham and Gloucester NHS Foundation Trust was considering reducing A&E services during the day at Cheltenham Hospital due to the strike. An announcement is due to be made on the decision on Thursday.
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