PATIENTS have struggled to call and book outpatient appointments at The Princess Alexandra Hospital for two weeks reports the Epping Forest Guardian.

The hospital trust has said it “urgently investigated” IT issues that have also impacted bookings and implemented a resolution.

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust chief information officer Phil Holland said: “Over the last week, we have experienced issues across our hospitals with colleagues logging on to computers and using IT systems.

“This has also impacted intermittently on contacting our teams, including for booking outpatient appointments.

“We urgently investigated the issues, working with our third party suppliers, and a resolution has now been implemented for the majority of computers and systems.

“We appreciate the impact of this for patients who have experienced delays in contacting our teams during this time and we apologise for the difficulty caused.

“We encourage patients to recontact the outpatients’ appointment booking line Monday to Friday, from 8am and 8pm, to arrange their appointment.”