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A doctor in Shropshire has called for patients to be “kind” to GP surgery staff across the country, amid a global IT outage which has affected healthcare systems.
The issue has seen numerous appointments cancelled across the UK, with doctors and pharmacists unable to access digital patient records.
Patients have been left frustrated but Dr Jess Harvey stressed that healthcare workers were having “a hell of a day” keeping practices running.
Beyond the NHS, the IT fault has had affected train lines, air travel and card payments.
Cyber-security firm Crowdstrike said the problem had been caused by an update to its antivirus software which contained a bug that made Microsoft Windows devices crash.
The tech firm says it had since fixed the issue – but experts have suggested it could take days to fix affected systems.
When Dr Harvey walked into Much Wenlock & Cressage Medical Practice, her staff asked her whether she wanted to go straight home – such was the scale of the problem they were facing.
Her surgery – like many across the country – was unable to access digital patient records or appointment bookings, and could not send prescription to pharmacies.
Dr Harvey told the BBC that her staff had since been able to access a “really primitive version” of the healthcare software, but that “essentially, we’re really stuck with the services we can actually deliver”.
Her Shropshire practice was among many that have had to cancel routine appointments. In Northern Ireland, around two thirds of GP surgeries have only been able to take emergency appointments.
“This is beyond all of our control,” Dr Harvey said. “Everyone is doing their best to try and make everything work the best they can.”
She added: “We’re working really hard as a team to try and get through it. I’m sure that’s the same in GP practices across the country.”
Dr Harvey’s team has found some workarounds, such as reverting to issuing prescriptions “the old fashioned way” – on paper – despite this requiring them “getting to grips with our handwriting”.
But they have also had to turn some patients away simply because “we can’t see their blood test results”.
While most of her patients who have seen appointments cancelled have been “quite pleasant about it and understanding”, Dr Harvey urged others to “be kind to who you’re dealing with, because they’re having a hell of a day”.
Despite the disruption, she stressed that people should still seek medical attention if needed, and advised those with appointments to check their surgery’s website or social media for updates.
Dr Neil O’Brien, chief medical officer of NHS North East said patients should turn up for appointments “unless told otherwise”.
He told the BBC that there was “no evidence of patient safety being compromised” due to the IT issues.
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