Hospitals across Northern Ireland’s Southern Health and Social Care Trust are slowly returning to normal after a major IT outage on September 17, 2025, left critical systems down and forced widespread cancellations of surgeries and outpatient appointments. While the trust confirmed that all IT systems have now been restored, the disruption continues to ripple through the region’s healthcare services, with the majority of scheduled procedures and consultations still postponed as of September 18.
The incident, which prompted the declaration of a major emergency at facilities including Craigavon Area Hospital and Daisy Hill Hospital, saw patients warned not to attend any appointments unless they were critically ill. Ambulances were diverted, waiting rooms emptied, and many patients—some of whom had waited months for care—were left in limbo. According to BBC News NI, the trust is now reconnecting systems in a phased manner while an urgent investigation into the cause of the outage continues. Notably, officials have stated that the incident is not believed to be related to any cyberattack.
"Significant issues with our IT systems are having an impact on our services," the Southern Trust announced on social media at the height of the crisis. "Ambulance diverts have been put in place whilst work continues to further investigate and resolve the issues. We are prioritising emergency and critically ill patients at this time. Any other patients should not come to their appointments at any hospital or community services today until further notice." The Department of Health echoed those concerns, confirming that the cause remained unknown and that an urgent investigation was underway.
The effects were felt immediately and acutely by patients. Elaine Agnew, a patient at Daisy Hill Hospital, was devastated to learn that her long-awaited operation—scheduled after nearly a year of waiting—had been cancelled. "I'm devastated," she told BBC News NI. "But what can I do?" Despite her disappointment, Agnew praised the hospital staff for their professionalism and care during the disruption.
Others, like Nicola Burns and her son Lorcán, came to Daisy Hill expecting a routine appointment only to find services suspended. "We had an appointment for an x-ray in the fracture clinic, turned up here and told it's been cancelled, bit disappointing to get him out of school, now we have to go home again," Burns said. She added, "We kind of knew straight away, the waiting room was empty. It's a hassle he's got out of school, and I've left work. We were hoping he was going to get word of getting it off, now we don't know. We've to come back next week." Lorcán, who has been in a cast for four weeks, took the news in stride: "I don't mind."
For patients like Gerard Lennon, the outage meant a long wait for basic test results. "I know I'm probably in for a long wait but I don't mind. It was either here or Dundonald and there were 140 people waiting when I was there this morning," Lennon remarked, highlighting the knock-on effects across the region.
The Southern Health Trust, which serves hospitals and care centers across counties Tyrone, Armagh, and Down—including South Tyrone Hospital, Craigavon Area Hospital, Lurgan Hospital, St Luke's Hospital, and Daisy Hill Hospital—has been working to restore normal operations. While most community services and mental health domiciliary care continued as usual, acute sites bore the brunt of the impact, with outpatient clinics and planned surgeries cancelled and set to be rescheduled as soon as possible. Patient visiting remained possible, but the trust continued to urge people to avoid attending emergency departments unless absolutely necessary.
Ambulance services were also heavily affected, with diversions in place for much of the day. The divert at Daisy Hill Hospital was lifted the same evening, but Craigavon Area Hospital remained under diversion until later on September 17.
The disruption has drawn pointed responses from across the political spectrum. Dr. Clodagh Corrigan, deputy chair of the British Medical Association's Northern Ireland Council, warned, "Today's events will inevitably impact waiting lists and is yet another clear indication of the dire need for investment." She emphasized that staff were "trying their best" to deliver safe and effective care in "circumstances entirely outside of their control."
Sinn Féin MLA Linda Dillon described the IT problem as causing "significant disruption" to health services and urged the public to monitor official channels for updates. "The Southern Trust is still prioritising emergencies and critically ill patients and anyone with an emergency should still attend hospital," she told the Belfast Telegraph. "This is causing significant disruption to health services and I urge local people to monitor the Southern Trust's social media and the news for updates as this situation unfolds."
From the Democratic Unionist Party, Diane Dodds, a member of Stormont's health committee, highlighted the strain on emergency departments across the region: "Ambulances that would normally be here bringing patients here are being diverted to other EDs that are already under significant pressure. We need to get the problem identified, sorted out and we need to make sure that the system that we're operating within is much more resilient than it has proved to be thus far." Dodds also called the cancellations "bitterly disappointing" for patients who had waited a long time for treatment, pledging to press the trust to reschedule appointments and operations quickly.
SDLP MLA Justin McNulty echoed concerns about patient anxiety, noting "real worry and distress" among those affected. "It's important that we work to understand how this has happened and ensure systems are put in place to prevent a repeat in future," he said. SDLP health spokesman Colin McGrath added, "Patients should not be left feeling frightened or uncertain about their care. Where appointments have been lost or delayed, the trust must act quickly to ensure that these are rescheduled without undue wait. Clear and consistent communication with the public is essential. People deserve to know exactly what has happened, how it affects them, and what steps are being taken to put things right. That openness is the best way to maintain confidence in our health system."
Eóin Tennyson, deputy leader of the Alliance Party, stressed the need for swift action and transparency: "My thoughts are first and foremost with patients, families, and staff who are under enormous pressure. Clear and timely communication is essential to ensure that people know which services are affected and where they can safely turn for help. Alliance will be seeking assurances that everything possible is being done to restore systems quickly, protect patient safety, and prevent similar failures in future."
The timing of the incident was particularly concerning, given that a neighboring trust—the South Eastern Trust—had experienced a minor IT issue the previous week. However, officials were quick to clarify that the two incidents were unrelated, with the South Eastern Trust’s disruption resolved quickly and causing minimal impact.
As the Southern Health Trust works to reschedule appointments, clear the backlog, and reassure the public, one thing is certain: the incident has exposed vulnerabilities in the region’s healthcare IT infrastructure and highlighted the critical importance of resilience, investment, and clear communication in protecting patient care. For patients, staff, and politicians alike, the hope is that lessons learned from this crisis will lead to a stronger, more reliable health system for Northern Ireland.
