'Majority' of Black Country GP practices facing issues due to worldwide IT outage

A spokeswoman for the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) confirmed it had been affected by the global computer problems on Friday.

The IT issues have caused disruption at banks, airports, pharmacies, supermarkets and transport services across the globe.

A statement from the Black Country ICB read: "The majority of practices in the Black Country are impacted by the IT issues and they have implemented their local business continuity plans."

Ryan Hobson, local GP and chair of the Black Country Primary Care Collaborative, said the outage is causing "significant disruptions".

Mr Hobson added: "If your health concern is urgent, primary care is open and we will do our best to see you.

“If you have a pre-booked appointment for today and you feel or think that your problem can wait, please contact the practice next week to rebook.

"Please attend if your problem is urgent and needs to be seen today. If your health concern can wait, please contact the practice next week.

“People should continue to use local pharmacies for self-care or any minor health conditions.

“For urgent medical advice, please visit 111 online or call 111 or 999 for emergencies.”

Among the doctors' surgeries experiencing problems is Croft Surgery in Gomer Street, Willenhall, which alerted patients that its computers and telephone lines were down.

A text message sent to patients read: "All of the computer and telephones are down at the surgery. We are unable to access medical records, book appointments or order medication. Please call us later."

GP practices in Staffordshire have also faced issues, including Westgate Practice in Church Street, Lichfield.

In a statement on its website, the surgery said: "We have temporarily paused access to online enquiries due to the international IT outage.

"Online enquiries will be available again on Monday, July 22, at 7am. If your request can't wait until then, please call the practice on 01543 416633."

Meanwhile, NHS England said there is "no known impact" on 999 or emergency systems as a result of the IT outage and urged patients to attend appointments unless told otherwise.

An NHS spokesperson said: "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.

“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.

“There is currently no known impact on 999 or emergency services, so people should use these services as they usually would.

“Patients should attend appointments unless told otherwise. Only contact your GP if it’s urgent, and otherwise please use 111 online or call 111."

The NHS later said at about 3pm that the IT glitch was causing issues with administrative systems in hospitals.

A spokesperson added: "There are also some issues with administrative systems in hospitals that mean staff are having to work manually from paper to manage certain tasks but in the majority of hospitals, care is continuing as normal."

West Midlands Ambulance service has confirmed that while its systems have not been affected, it is anticipating an increased demand due to other NHS systems facing problems.

A spokesman for the service said; "Our systems are not currently impacted by the global IT issues and we are continuing to operate normally.

“We are aware that other NHS organisations and systems may be affected. This could potentially lead to increased demand on the ambulance service, on a day where call numbers are already expected to be high due to the hot weather.

“Please remember to use 999 wisely and only for life-threatening emergencies. For non-emergencies, please dial 111.”

West Midlands Police and West Mercia Police both said they were not experiencing problems due to the technical fault.

Supermarkets have been affected by the IT issues including the Waitrose in the Ryemarket Shopping Centre, Stourbridge, which was among the stores "briefly" limited on contactless payments.

A spokesman for Waitrose however said at about 12.10pm that it was taking contactless payments "largely as normal" across its stores.

Sainsbury's, Lidl and Marks and Spencer meanwhile said they were not affected by any technical problems.

The IT outage has also caused disruption train operators including West Midlands Railway, which said its services were not affected but some "back office systems" were "temporarily unavailable".

Birmingham Airport also reported issues at passenger check-ins but said the "majority of flights" were operating as normal.