We continue to experience difficulties with our clinical information systems following the NHS cyber attack on Friday. Patient safety is being maintained.

It remains important for patients to use Accident and Emergency at both Southport and Ormskirk hospitals only in an emergency.


We are working hard to restore systems and we would like to reassure patients and the public that all patient information is safe, and will be available to our clinicians once the systems are back up and running.


Patients who are scheduled for surgery today and tomorrow (Tuesday 16th May) should not to attend unless we contact you directly today.


All outpatients and endoscopy appointments for today and tomorrow have been cancelled. We will contact you to make a new appointment.


Routine MRI and CT scans have also been cancelled today and tomorrow. Patients will be contacted directly if they need to attend.


Dialysis and blood clinic (phlebotomy) patients should attend their appointments as usual.


The pregnancy assessment unit at Ormskirk hospital will be open as usual.

All antenatal clinics at Southport, Ormskirk and in the community will go ahead as usual. This includes pregnancy ultrasound.


Gynaecology and sexual health clinics are operating as usual but there may be delays.


We would like to thank all staff within the Trust and colleagues at partner organisations across the region for their continued support.

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Over the weekend, NHS Digital also addressed speculation that aging infrastructure was to blame: "While the vast majority [of NHS organisations] are running contemporary systems, we can confirm that the number of devices within the NHS that reportedly use XP has fallen to 4.7 per cent, with this figure continuing to decrease." Windows XP was put out to pasture in spring 2014, though the UK government did pay for an extra year of support back then. In reaction to the spread of 'WannaCrypt,' Microsoft took the "highly unusual step" of issuing a patch for out-of-support systems last Friday.

Reading between the lines, NHS Digital is basically blaming the update apathy of individual Trusts as the reason for the ransomware's spread

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