From a central dispatch system, similar to that of a taxi company, transporters are sent to move patients to diagnostic appointments and operations.
"For some time the trust has been failing to meet national standards on waiting and treatment times, there were high numbers of cancelled appointments and operations, and delays in providing diagnostic results.
The two main hospitals in the region, at Lancaster and Carlisle, were running on emergency generators, expected to last a couple of days, and cancelled all routine appointments and operations.
From the year 2000, pay for consultants, GPs and nurses increased by up to 60% – consultants now get an average salary of £120,000 a year –and the rising number of NHS staff outstripped the increase in the number of appointments and operations over the 10 years, the NAO found.
His mother Caroline Powell has had to watch him endure a lifetime of hospital appointments and operations.
Issues included cancelled appointments and operations, delays in providing diagnostic results, low staffing levels, overcrowding and concerns over fire exits.
The U.K.'s National Health Service (NHS) was most prominently impacted by the cyberattack, leading to thousands of cancelled appointments and operations, according to the country's audit office.
And Brighton and Sussex University hospitals trust, which termed its incident "significant", said the Princess Royal Brighton and the Royal Sussex had cancelled some appointments, clinics and operations but did not provide further details.
Brighton and Sussex University hospitals trust, which termed its incident "significant", said the Princess Royal Brighton and the Royal Sussex had cancelled some appointments, clinics and operations but did not provide further details.
Hunt says 110,000 outpatient appointments and 12,000 operations are going to have to be cancelled.
