Sussex hospital trust declares critical incident - 'Do not attend unless unavoidable'

The Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton and the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath have been ‘significantly affected’, the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust said in a statement on Sunday (January 14).

“We have declared a critical incident, after both the Royal Sussex County and Princess Royal hospitals were significantly affected by IT problems,” the statement read. "St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester and Worthing Hospital are also affected to a lesser degree, and under considerable pressure as a result.

"This declaration allows staff to focus on the needs of their patients, and for the trust to seek support from local partners. The disruption is widespread, and frontline teams are affected.”

‘For the time being’, the trust has asked the ambulance service ‘not to take patients to Brighton or Haywards Heath’.

A spokesperson added: “Please do not attend our Emergency Departments unless it is unavoidable, and be aware that it will not be possible to telephone the Brighton and Haywards Heath hospitals until further notice.”

An update was issued at 11.30pm last night: "Progress has been made in restoring IT systems since the update earlier this evening. Colleagues continue to work tirelessly to ensure systems are back up and running, and stable. We have been given invaluable support from the South East Coast Ambulance Service, other NHS Trusts, and partners. Thank you to everyone involved. Please be aware that this is still an ongoing issue, despite the improved situation. Anyone who does not need an Emergency Department should visit 111.nhs.uk or call 111 for help or advice.

Anyone who needs to contact maternity units are asked to call 07917 751742 for the Royal Sussex County and 07436 040094 for the Princess Royal Hospital.