UK Microsoft Outage Hits GPs, Police and Pharmacies as Patients Face Delayed Prescriptions and Services

GP surgeries, pharmacies, police forces and other public services across the UK have reported disruption following a global outage affecting Microsoft’s Outlook, Teams and Copilot platforms.

Some GP practices have asked patients to stop submitting messages through their websites while the technical problems continue. Others have advised people with urgent medical needs to telephone or visit their surgeries.

Tim Frank, a GP in Penzance, told the BBC that his practice had received no emails on Friday. He warned that continued problems with Microsoft Teams could cause delays and affect patient care.

GP practices in Hampshire and Shropshire have also instructed patients to contact them by phone or attend in person if they require urgent assistance.

Pharmacies Warn of Prescription Delays

The National Pharmacy Association said the outage was affecting communication between pharmacies, GP practices and some patients.

A spokesperson warned that patients could experience longer waiting times and delays to certain prescriptions while services remained disrupted.

The communication problems have affected the ability of pharmacies to coordinate with medical practices and provide updates to patients.

Police Forces Direct Public to Telephone Reporting Services

Several police forces have warned that their online reporting systems could be affected by the Microsoft outage.

The Metropolitan Police, Greater Manchester Police and North Yorkshire Police have advised members of the public to call 101 when making time-critical reports that are not emergencies.

South Wales Police and Dyfed-Powys Police have also reported similar problems and urged people who need assistance to contact them by telephone.

Airports and Ambulance Services Continue Operating Normally

Not all public services have experienced disruption.

The London Ambulance Service said its critical systems do not rely on Microsoft platforms and remain unaffected.

Heathrow, Manchester and Stansted airports have also continued operating as usual.

UK intelligence operations have not been affected, according to information reported about the incident. Although some parts of the security services use Microsoft products, secret operations are handled through separate systems.

Government and Parliament Assess Impact

Defence Minister Luke Pollard told BBC Breakfast that the government was assessing how the outage had affected its systems.

A government spokesperson said officials were working closely with Microsoft to establish the impact on public services and would provide further information after the assessment.

Members of Parliament have been unable to access their parliamentary accounts. However, a parliamentary spokesperson said alternative arrangements had been introduced to allow the day’s business to continue.

Some teachers have also reported difficulties accessing emails, calendars and files stored on cloud servers.

Microsoft Blames Server Pressure for Global Disruption

Microsoft has attributed the outage to unusually high pressure on its infrastructure after a number of servers unexpectedly became unavailable.

The company said the resulting traffic was redirected to the remaining operational servers, placing additional strain on them.

Microsoft also acknowledged that measures introduced to resolve the disruption were not working as expected.

The outage has affected Outlook, Teams and Copilot, with the company continuing efforts to restore normal operations.

Cybersecurity Experts Rule Out Attack

Microsoft and cybersecurity experts have ruled out a cyberattack as the cause of the disruption.

Jake Moore, a cybersecurity adviser at ESET, compared the situation to traffic congestion caused when a motorway lane is blocked and vehicles are forced into fewer available lanes.

He said the remaining servers had been placed under pressure as traffic was redirected, slowing down services.

Moore told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the incident demonstrated the importance of having alternative communication systems that operate independently of major technology providers.

He said organisations had become heavily dependent on a small number of companies, meaning disruptions at a major provider could affect services across multiple sectors.

Businesses Highlight Need for Backup Communication Systems

Nicky Choo said his cybersecurity company, Mimecast, also uses Microsoft tools but has alternative systems in place to limit disruption when services become unavailable.

Moore said traditional telephone lines had remained one of the most reliable communication methods during the outage.

The disruption has also affected businesses and individual users who rely on Microsoft services for daily communication and work.

One BBC contributor, Martin, initially welcomed the absence of new emails when he woke up, describing it as a relief. However, he later realised that the outage had occurred on a day when he needed to complete an important business deal.