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

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

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.”

The incident has affected both Cheltenham and Gloucestershire Royal Hospitals

“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.

This is a breaking story – more follows…