PRESTON'S healthcare infrastructure is ready to face the millennium bug, according to a new report.

Members of the Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust board were told that, following extensive research, they are ready to tackle the year 2000, and patients have nothing to fear.

According to the report, any medical equipment which may have had problems coping with the Millennium has either been fixed or replaced, although most of it could not be affected by the bug.

These findings incorporate specialist pathology equipment.

A Trust spokesman said: "All major IT systems are also Millennium compliant, however robust contingency plans have also been developed.

"With the exception of Accident and Emergency, all systems across the Trusts will be shut down immediately prior to New Year's Eve, ensuring that should a loss of mains electrical power occur, data will remain."

Technical staff will also be on hand throughout the Millennium, ensuring everything runs as smoothly as possible.

But Trust bosses are hoping to deal with as few patients as possible during the festivities, with no routine operations planned after Christmas Eve until January 10.

A large number of medical staff will also be on site at the Royal Preston Hospital should a major incident occur, with 'an enhanced service in Accident and emergency for two weeks from December 22'.

In July the Citizen revealed how health chiefs were worried about problems with the Trust's e-mail system, which sends details such as blood tests and x-ray results to GPs. A new, Year 2000 compliant system has now been introduced.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.