Hundreds of GP practices across England and Wales lost online services after Silicon Practice, a tech firm providing digital tools to approximately 500 practices, entered administration. The affected practices represent just under 10% of all GP surgeries in England. Practices in London, Gloucestershire, Norfolk, and Wales reported problems accessing their websites, online booking systems, and consultation services.
Since last year, all GP practices in England have been required to offer online appointment booking. More than 40% of appointments are currently made online, making the outage particularly disruptive. Patients at affected practices must now book appointments by phone or in person. The NHS app continues to work normally.
Silicon Practice operated FootFall, a digital tool the company claimed reduced patient phone calls by 30% across more than 1,000 UK GP practices. An NHS England spokesperson confirmed that while "the majority" of GP practice websites run normally, some using Silicon Practice will face disruption. The spokesperson advised affected patients to contact their practice by phone or visit in person.
Prof Victoria Tzortziou Brown, president of the Royal College of GPs, called the outage "hugely disruptive for patients and place additional pressures on already stretched practice teams." She said affected practices need "prompt, practical support from NHS England and local NHS organisations to restore their websites, minimise disruption and ensure patients know how to contact their practice and access the care they need in the meantime."
NHS England contacted affected practices with guidance on maintaining business continuity.