Hospital IT systems 'coming back online'

Medical units across Cornwall suffered from "significant" IT issues on Tuesday afternoon, the NHS said

Computer systems across Cornwall's hospitals are coming back online after a "network outage" on Tuesday, according to the NHS.

Work to restore the county's IT systems is expected to continue overnight, a spokesperson said.

They said the problem was a "local issue" and not a cyber attack.

Some appointments and operations were rescheduled earlier in the day due to what was described as a "significant IT issue” but the NHS said anyone with an appointment on Wednesday should go to hospital or their health centre as planned.

The spokesperson added: "GP surgeries will be open and people who have GP appointments should continue to attend, as planned."

Anyone who has had an appointment postponed today will be contacted directly to agree a new date, the NHS said.

People are being asked not to call hospitals unless it is an urgent matter but to continue to use the most appropriate service for their need, including minor injury units and pharmacies.

Anyone needing urgent care on Tuesday should use 111 online or phone for advice, in order to help teams as they get back to normal but should continue to call 999 in a life-threatening emergency.