Crowdstrike confirms global IT issues caused by a defect in a Windows update - local GP surgeries hit
A number of doctor’s surgeries continue to have issues today (Friday), as the reverberations of a global IT outages are felt in West Berkshire.
And although trains are running as usual through the area, GWR is advising customers to allow a bit longer as some ticketing systems have been affected.
Some patients were turned away as they arrived for blood tests this morning at some surgeries while others have asked patients to “only contact the surgery if you have a very urgent medical need”.
Newbury GP practices, Falkland, Strawberry Hill and Eastfield House, have all reported being unable to access patient medical notes today.
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″.
Cyber-security specialists, Crowdstrike, have confirmed that the issues was caused by a “defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts”.
President and CEO of the company, George Kurtz, said on X: “CrowdStrike is actively working with customers impacted by a defect found in a single content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This is not a security incident or cyberattack. The issue has been identified, isolated and a fix has been deployed. We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website. We further recommend organizations ensure they’re communicating with CrowdStrike representatives through official channels. Our team is fully mobilized to ensure the security and stability of CrowdStrike customers.”
So far a number of fixes are being suggested on social media – including ‘turn it off and turn it on again’.
Flights across the world have been hit by the problems too – with thousands grounded on one of the busiest days of the year so far for airports.
There were also reports locally that some shops were unable to accept card payments or work tills due to the outage and some residents reported not being able to withdraw money from cash machines.
If you have been affected by any of the issues today, please let us know by emailing newsdesk@newburynews.co.uk