On Wednesday, September 17, 2025, the Southern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland was plunged into chaos after a major IT outage disrupted healthcare services across a wide swath of the region. The incident, which began in the early hours of Wednesday morning, has left patients, healthcare workers, and public officials scrambling to adapt to a situation that many say highlights the fragility of the modern health system’s reliance on technology.
The disruption, which the Trust later described as stemming from a “hardware issue” in its data centres, led to the immediate cancellation of most planned operations and outpatient appointments for both Wednesday and Thursday. According to the Trust’s Medical Director, Stephen Austin, the outage affected core clinical records and laboratory result systems, essentially cutting off digital access to vital patient information. “It’s an unusual thing, that’s being fixed at present,” Austin explained to Cool FM. “But it does mean that a lot of our systems these days in modern medicine are based on IT systems and it does have an impact, but staff are able to go back to paper and they’ve done that very well.”
Despite the best efforts of staff to keep services running, the impact on patients has been significant. Ambulances were diverted away from some hospitals, and only emergency and critically ill patients were being prioritized. The Trust’s hospitals—including Daisy Hill in Newry, Craigavon Area Hospital, Lurgan Hospital, St Luke’s Hospital in Armagh, and South Tyrone Hospital in Dungannon—were all affected by the outage. A spokesperson for the Southern Trust urged the public: “Any other patients should not come to their appointments at any hospital or community services today until further notice. We ask that people avoid coming to our hospitals and other sites but visiting a patient is still possible. Further updates will be provided in due course.”
On Thursday, September 18, the Trust announced that while community services were expected to operate as normal, “the majority of planned surgery and out-patient hospital appointments are being cancelled” and would be rescheduled as soon as possible. “We ask that people avoid coming to our Emergency Departments unless absolutely necessary,” the Trust’s update read. “We apologise for any disruption. Staff are working hard to resume services as soon as possible.”
The sudden loss of digital infrastructure forced healthcare staff to revert to paper-based systems—a throwback to an earlier era of medicine. Austin noted that despite the slower pace, senior doctors had assured him that patient care was being managed effectively. “I’ve talked to senior doctors today and they’ve told me that, although it’s slower, they’ve been able to manage the patients well and they’re content.”
For patients, however, the disruption has caused real distress. Nicola Burns, who had taken her son Lorcán to Daisy Hill Hospital for a cast removal after he fell off his bike, shared her frustration with the BBC: “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 home again.” Another patient, Elaine Agnew, described being “devastated” after an operation she had been waiting for since November was abruptly cancelled.
Political leaders and public representatives have been quick to respond to the crisis, calling for transparency, swift action, and a commitment to preventing such disruptions in the future. South Down SDLP MLA and Opposition Health Spokesperson Colin McGrath expressed deep concern, stating, “While the details of what has happened will cause understandable concern, it is essential that the Trust work to reassure the public. 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.” McGrath emphasized the need for clear and consistent communication, adding, “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.”
Newry & Armagh MLA Justin McNulty echoed these sentiments, highlighting the widespread impact on patients and families. “This IT outage creates chaos and concern for patients in Newry and right across the Southern Trust Area. People awaiting important treatments have had their appointments cancelled, while ambulances are being diverted. Naturally this is causing real worry and distress for those affected. Large numbers of people have been impacted by this incident and 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.”
Sinn Féin MLA Linda Dillon also weighed in, urging the public to stay informed as the situation developed. “The Southern Trust is still prioritising emergencies and critically ill patients and anyone with an emergency should still attend hospital. 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.”
Amid speculation about the cause of the outage, the DUP’s Upper Bann MP, Carla Lockhart, clarified that she had been assured by the Trust that the issue was a software fault rather than a cyberattack. Lockhart said teams were working “frantically” to restore services and emphasized the need for robust contingency planning in the future.
For many, the incident has underscored the growing dependence of healthcare systems on complex IT infrastructure. While digitization has brought enormous benefits in terms of efficiency, record-keeping, and patient outcomes, it has also introduced new vulnerabilities. As staff scrambled to manage care using paper records, the limitations of such backup systems became apparent—slower processes, potential for lost information, and increased administrative burden all added to the pressure on frontline workers.
The Trust’s spokesperson reiterated that engineers were working around the clock to investigate and resolve the problems. In the meantime, patients and families were advised to avoid hospitals unless absolutely necessary, with the assurance that emergency and critical care would remain a priority. Visiting patients in hospitals was still possible, but the Trust asked for understanding and patience as staff worked through the disruption.
As the dust begins to settle, the episode has sparked a broader conversation about the need for investment in resilient IT systems, improved contingency planning, and transparent communication with the public. For those affected, the hope is that lessons will be learned and safeguards put in place to ensure that the health service remains there when it is needed most.
