Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust is experiencing the loss of a key critical IT system – the Picture Archiving Communication System (PACS).
PACS is a digital system used throughout the hospital that allows staff to view diagnostic images like x-rays, CT scans, and MRI scans and is fundamental to the provision of safe patient care.
As a result of the loss of functionality, Gateshead Health has made the decision to declare a critical incident. This enables us to be clear about the actions needed to resolve and to seek support from partners and providers to rectify the situation.
We do have business continuity plans in place, which enable our staff to take alternative steps to review images and to maintain safe services.
Our emergency department and urgent treatment centres are still open, although there may be some delays in patients being seen or treated for less serious conditions.
For ongoing patient appointments, if there is any impact, our team will contact patients directly. If you do not hear from us, please attend your scheduled appointment as planned but please be aware that this may take longer than usual.
We have taken the difficult but necessary decision to temporarily pause the breast screening service for some appointments. Please visit https://www.gatesheadhealth.nhs.uk/services/breast-screening/
We understand how concerning and inconvenient this may be, and we’re truly sorry for any worry or disruption this causes.
Thank you for your patience, cooperation, and support while we work to restore our services as soon as possible.