By Carmel Robinson

Copyright northernirelandworld

Cancer patients scheduled for urgent surgery and treatment have voiced concerns after IT system issues led to the cancellation of appointments by the Southern Health Trust. Several concerned patients said they were very upset that their treatment or surgery was cancelled at short notice by the Trust following what has been described as ‘IT issues’. – – However this morning the Trust has set up a new helpline for patients whose appointments or surgery has been postponed as a result of the IT issues. Lines will be open until 8pm this evening. Tel 028 3756 0009. With most out-patient hospital appointments and surgery within the Trust still cancelled today (Thursday) following the IT system outage, some patients are concerned that they will be left even longer to wait for treatment. Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: “While the specific cause of the outage is still being investigated, I would like to provide reassurance about the resilience of encompass. Even during connection issues, an individual’s health record remains secure, and continuity of care is protected.” The situation began on Wednesday when the Trust issues a statement saying the IT system had been ‘disrupted’ and this led to led to ambulances diverted away from Craigavon Area Hospital and Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry. The Trust has been keen to stress they don’t believe the IT issue ‘cyber related’ and it appears staff couldn’t access the systems they normally use. In a BBC interview the Southern Trust’s Medical Director, Stephen Austin, revealed that the trust’s data centre and back-up data centre had both failed. “It’s very, very rare for both to go down,” he said. “But the important thing is we have put in place plans to make sure that we provide safe care for the patients that we have under our roof already and that’s what we did.” However some patients are extremely concerned. One Co Armagh woman shared her frustration that her sister’s proposed cancer surgery had been cancelled for a second time by the Trust. Another patient who was due to start cancer treatment has also raised concerns for his wellbeing and how this might affect his cancer spreading. Dr Austin said the issues were ‘purely technical’ and they had been working with ‘external partners to resolve’. “It has been resolved and we are stepping up to full service again over the course of the next few hours this morning. “We’re just making sure we’re bringing it back in a phased controlled manner so that it’s entirely stable. “Appointments will be done as soon as possible depending on patients’ particular needs.” In their latest statement this afternoon the Trust said: “The IT issues which caused disruption to our services have been resolved and the phased restart is complete. “All surgeries and outpatient appointments scheduled for tomorrow, Friday 19 September, will take place as planned. Community services are also operating as normal. “Staff have contacted all patients whose appointments were cancelled this week, and we are working hard to reschedule these as soon as possible. “It will take some time for normal business to be fully restored, and we sincerely apologise once again to every patient and service user who has been affected by the disruption. “The cause of the outage is still being investigated. We have requested a full technical analysis from our system provider in order to understand how the outage happened. “This will inform wider root cause investigations which are already underway. There is nothing to indicate any cyber related issues. “We are hugely grateful for the support of NIAS, other Trusts and the wider HSC system who have been supporting us this week. We would also like to thank our local political representatives and other partner organisations who kindly offered assistance. “We again thank our dedicated staff who are working hard to ensure that we recover as quickly as possible from this issue and minimise any ongoing impact for patients.” A helpline is available until 8pm this evening for patients who have been affected by the disruption. Telephone 028 3756 0009. Meanwhile Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: “I welcome the fact that the IT issues in the Southern Health & Social Care Trust have now been resolved. “I acknowledge, however, the disruption that this incident continues to cause for patients. I understand the distress and anxiety felt by many of those who have had appointments or procedures cancelled. I have been assured by the Trust that it is working at pace to ensure those cancellations are rescheduled as quickly as possible, and I welcome the confirmation that all surgeries and outpatient appointments scheduled for tomorrow, Friday 19 September, will take place as planned and community services are operating as normal. “This has also been an extremely difficult period for staff within the Trust and I want to express my thanks for their ongoing efforts to resolve the situation, as well as the support provided by those from across the Health & Social Care system. I have been encouraging a “one system, one team” approach and the support provided yesterday by other HSC Trusts was superb, and an excellent example of what we can achieve when we all work together. “I want to pay tribute to clinical colleagues within the Southern Trust who continue to provide such compassionate and safe care to patients during these challenging circumstances. “While the specific cause of the outage is still being investigated, I would like to provide reassurance about the resilience of encompass. Even during connection issues, an individual’s health record remains secure, and continuity of care is protected.”