Computer bug disrupts hospital in Galway

A computer crash continued to bug the biggest hospital in the West yesterday.

The main IT system at University College Hospital in Galway went down on Monday morning and caused massive disruption. There was no access to patient records, treatments had to be cancelled, and outpatient appointments postponed. Phonelines were also hit.

The glitch also affected Galway City’s second public hospital at Merlin Park.

Contingency plans, including increased staffing, were put in place and IT engineers worked throughout the night to try to resolve the problem, but the Saolta University Healthcare Group which manages both hospitals, admitted there were still issues to be sorted out.

“All the phones are back but there remains a problem with wifi and some delays are still being experienced in processing patient information,” it said.

There were no scheduled outpatient clinics yesterday as it was a bank holiday and both hospitals urged patients to keep their outpatient appointments for today.

Read more of today’s news here