Harrow, along with other areas in North West London, is experiencing significant disruption in GP services due to a global IT outage. NHS England confirmed that the outage is affecting the majority of GP practices in England, causing considerable disruption in patient care.
A statement from NHS England assured that 999 and emergency services are currently unaffected by the outage. However, the IT issues are impacting several practices in Brent, Harrow, Hillingdon, Ealing, and Hounslow.
NHS North West London posted a message on social media outlining the extent of the disruption: “Some of our general practice IT systems are impacted by an IT outage. The clinical computer systems used by our GPs in Brent, Harrow, Hillingdon, Dormers Wells practice in Ealing and Spring Grove practice in Hounslow are currently unable to access patient records, including telephone numbers and email addresses.”
The message also highlighted the impact on telephone appointments: “Telephone appointments may not be possible until this matter is resolved. If you have a telephone appointment booked and the issue is urgent you are advised to visit the practice or use NHS 111 online.
“If you are expecting a regular repeat prescription, you should visit your pharmacy, who can issue an urgent prescription covering 3 days. If you require medical advice, please visit your community pharmacist or Get help for your symptoms – https://111.nhs.uk/“
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
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