National IT outage affecting NHS services
NHS systems have been affected by a global IT outage, including GP practices.
NHS services using the EMIS system have been affected by a global IT outage today (Friday 19 July). The situation has affected the ability of some services to:
- Book appointments
- View patient details
- Issue prescriptions
Due to healthcare professionals being unable to view patient notes, it may be deemed unsafe to continue with pre-booked appointments.
However, an NHS spokesperson has said "the 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."
Advice for patients
- Attend any appointments, unless told otherwise.
- Only contact your GP if it is urgent.
- Use NHS 111 online or call NHS 111 for other health queries.
- There is no known impact on 999 or emergency services, so people should use these as they normally would.
“The 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."
