Global Tech Outage Hits NHS Services

A global tech outage disrupted the bookings of doctors' appointments and access to patient records across England's NHS, though emergency services remained unaffected. The disruption was linked to a cybersecurity issue involving Crowdstrike and Microsoft Windows. The NHS implemented contingency measures but faced numerous challenges in multiple sectors internationally.

A global tech outage on Friday disrupted the booking of doctors' appointments and access to patient records across England's National Health Service (NHS), the organization confirmed. Despite the disruption, emergency services were not affected.

The outage, linked to cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike and its impact on the operation of Microsoft Windows, affected various sectors worldwide, including airlines, banking, and broadcasting. NHS England reported issues with its EMIS patient and record system, causing disruptions in most GP practices.

'The NHS has longstanding measures in place to manage the disruption, including using paper patient records and handwritten prescriptions, and the usual phone systems to contact your GP,' an NHS spokesperson said. 'There is currently no known impact on 999 or emergency services, so people should use these services as they usually would.'

The recent election saw the Labour Party come to power, and the new health minister, Wes Streeting, called the NHS 'broken' and ordered an independent investigation into its state. Talks are ongoing with junior doctors to end strikes disrupting efforts to reduce waiting lists.

Adding to the challenges, the NHS suffered a cyberattack last month, affecting a lab responsible for blood test results and disrupting thousands of appointments and operations. A UK government security source stated that Friday's global outage was not considered a malicious act.

NHS England advised patients to attend previously booked appointments but to contact their doctors only in urgent cases.