{"id":1782,"date":"2024-07-19T12:06:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-19T12:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tradetrovex.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/19\/it-outage-causing-disruption-in-majority-of-gp-practices-in-england\/"},"modified":"2024-07-19T12:06:02","modified_gmt":"2024-07-19T12:06:02","slug":"it-outage-causing-disruption-in-majority-of-gp-practices-in-england","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tradetrovex.com\/index.php\/2024\/07\/19\/it-outage-causing-disruption-in-majority-of-gp-practices-in-england\/","title":{"rendered":"IT outage \u2018causing disruption in majority of GP practices\u2019 in England"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Most GP practices in England have suffered disruption as a result of the major global IT outage, causing problems with booking appointments and issuing prescriptions.<\/p>\n

But NHS England said there was currently no known impact on 999 or emergency services as a result of the mass computer failure<\/strong>, blamed on a defective Windows update.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Thousands of doctors\u2019 surgeries have been affected after the widely-used EMIS appointment and patient record system went down.<\/p>\n

Global IT outage: Follow live<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pharmacies have also reported issues with accessing prescriptions from GP surgeries and said this would affect the delivery of medicines to patients.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

A spokeswoman for NHS England said: \u201cThe NHS is aware of a global IT outage and an issue with EMIS, an appointment and patient record system, which is causing disruption in the majority of GP practices.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe NHS has long-standing measures in place to manage the disruption, including using paper patient records and handwritten prescriptions, and the usual phone systems to contact your GP.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is currently no known impact on 999 or emergency services, so people should use these services as they usually would.<\/p>\n

\u201cPatients should attend appointments unless told otherwise. Only contact your GP if it\u2019s urgent, and otherwise please use 111 online or call 111.\u201d<\/p>\n

EMIS Web enables GP practices to book appointments, examine records and includes a clinical decision support tool as well as helping with admin.<\/p>\n

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said: \u201cAny form of disruption to our digital systems is a serious concern for GPs as it directly impacts on the care we can give to our patients.<\/p>\n

\u201cOutages like this affect our access to important clinical information about our patients, as well as our ability to book tests, make referrals, and inform the most appropriate treatment plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Urging patients to \u201cbear with\u201d GPs, she added: \u201cWe really hope that the problems can be resolved quickly and that services are restored to normal as soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokesman for the National Pharmacy Association said: \u201cWe\u2019re aware that due to global IT outages that services in community pharmacies, including the accessing of prescriptions from GPs and medicine deliveries, are disrupted today.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe urge patients to be patient whilst visiting their pharmacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re urgently raising this issue with the NHS England.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr Farah Jameel, a GP in central London working at Museum Practice, said she was unable to access patient notes, imaging results, medication history and blood tests.<\/p>\n

\u2018This is unsafe\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

She said: \u201cI think we need to underline the clinical impact of this IT disruption on how significantly it has interrupted clinical care.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is unsafe.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cAt present, we cannot access any patient notes and are trying to assess patients on a case-by-case basis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are unable to access blood test results, imaging results, clinical history and anticipate that the clinical documentation work will accumulate through the course of the day.<\/p>\n

\u201cPatient care pathways will be interrupted as we are unable to organise simple management plans like organising tests, and issuing regular medications.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are operating a clinical triage system so that we can ensure safety of our patients and see those with the greatest clinical need. Deferring all others that can safely wait to another day.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Wilmslow Health Centre in Cheshire wrote on X that practices \u201cusing the NHS commissioned GP computer system EMIS are currently without access to their IT systems\u201d.<\/p>\n

It added: \u201cThis is beyond the control of GP surgeries. Please bear with us until we have our IT systems back online.\u201d<\/p>\n

Solihull Healthcare Partnership in the West Midlands said on X: \u201cUnfortunately there is a national issue with EMIS Web \u2013 our clinical computer system.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will affect our ability to book\/consult with patients this morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will update patients when we can. We apologise for the disruption.\u201d<\/p>\n

Error message<\/strong><\/p>\n

A surgery in Putney, southwest London, showed an error message online when patients attempted to book appointments.<\/p>\n

Windrush Medical Practice in Witney, Oxfordshire, said it is continuing as normal but urged patients with \u201croutine concerns\u201d to wait until Monday.<\/p>\n

Central Lakes Medical Group in Ambleside wrote: \u201cWe\u2019re impacted by the IT outage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will have a big effect on us, so apologies in advance for the inconvenience caused, and delays on the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cancellation warning<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another post by Pocklington Group Practice in the East Riding of Yorkshire said: \u201cDue to ongoing Windows issues affecting IT worldwide, the practice is currently unable to function as normal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis may result in appointments needing to be cancelled and rearranged. Updates will follow when available.\u201d<\/p>\n

Salisbury District Hospital also confirmed in a post on social media that it had been impacted.<\/p>\n

It said: \u201cWe are suffering some delays at our hospital with our administrative services due to the global IT outage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe ask patients and visitors to please bear with us as we use alternative methods.\u201d<\/p>\n

West Herts Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which includes Watford General, Hemel Hempstead & St Albans City Hospitals, said in a post on X: \u201cPatient services still running.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have only experienced a minor impact to our IT services following today\u2019s global IT outage.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

This post appeared first on sky.com<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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