Critical incident declared at Surrey hospital

A critical incident has been declared at a hospital in Surrey due to a "loss of operating system".

The incident, which is affecting the radiotherapy department of the Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, is said to be due to a "telecoms issue".

Also affected is the radiotherapy unit at East Surrey Hospital in Redhill, which is managed by the Guildford-based hospital.

"Our teams are working hard to fix the issue but unfortunately we have had to cancel a number of planned appointments," a hospital statement said.

The incident is affecting patients at the hospital's cancer centre, a hospital spokesperson said.

"All patients affected have been contacted and will have their appointments rescheduled as soon as possible," the statement said.

The hospital has apologised for the disruption.

Any patients concerned about their treatment should contact the radiotherapy department, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson was unable to clarify when services were likely to return to normal.

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