A widespread Microsoft outage has disrupted critical services across the United Kingdom, affecting GP surgeries, police forces, pharmacies, and even parliament. The disruption, which began on Friday, has left patients, law enforcement, and businesses scrambling to maintain operations.
Health Services Under Strain
NHS England has advised patients to attend appointments as scheduled unless informed otherwise. However, several GP practices have urged patients to avoid using online messaging systems and to phone or visit surgeries for urgent matters. Practices in Hampshire and Shropshire are among those affected.
Sir Ciarán Devane, chief executive of the NHS Alliance, confirmed that the outage has impacted some NHS services, including email communications. NHS trusts are implementing measures to minimise disruption to critical services, according to a spokesperson.
The National Pharmacy Association warned that pharmacies are struggling to communicate with GP practices and patients, leading to longer waits and potential delays in prescriptions. Rachel Harrison, national secretary of the GMB union, described the impact as "serious" across ambulance and NHS trusts, noting that 111 and 999 services are unable to refer patient details in the usual way, creating a backlog. She added that emergency call-outs appear unaffected.
Police Forces Adapt
Several police forces, including the Metropolitan Police, Greater Manchester Police, and North Yorkshire Police, have reported issues with online forms. They are urging the public to call 101 for time-critical but non-emergency reports. South Wales Police and Dyfed-Powys Police are also experiencing similar problems, while Police Scotland warned of delays in responding to online forms submitted in the past 24 hours.
Emergency services in London remain largely unaffected, as the London Ambulance Service's critical platforms do not rely on Microsoft systems.
Government and Parliament Impacted
Defence minister Luke Pollard told BBC Breakfast that the government is assessing the impact on its systems and will issue a statement once completed. A government spokesperson said officials are working closely with Microsoft to evaluate any effects on public services.
Members of Parliament are unable to access their parliamentary accounts, but alternative arrangements have been made to allow the day's business to proceed. UK intelligence operations have not been affected, as they use separate systems for secret operations.
Education and Postal Services Affected
Some teachers have reported being unable to access calendars, emails, and files on cloud servers. In Scotland, parents are being asked to call in school absences rather than emailing. Northern Ireland's Education Authority said its schools cannot access email accounts.
Royal Mail has also reported that some online services are unavailable, and email notifications about deliveries may be delayed. However, post collection and delivery continue as normal.
Microsoft Working on Fix
Microsoft has ruled out a cyber-attack as the cause of the outage, which has affected Outlook, Teams, and Copilot. The company explained that a large number of servers became "unexpectedly available," causing traffic to be redirected to remaining servers and overwhelming them. "Just like on a motorway, when you block one lane, you have to put all of the excess traffic through just one or two lanes," said Jake Moore, a cyber-security adviser at ESET. "Everything backs up. It slows down, and that's what we're seeing here."
Moore emphasised the need for contingency communication networks that are independent of major providers. "Unfortunately, we put so much emphasis on just a few providers, so when one big one like this goes down, the knock-on effects are huge."
Microsoft has reported "early signs of stabilisation" as work continues on a fix.
Businesses and Individuals React
Caroline Wade, who runs a PR agency in Kent, described the outage as causing "huge disruption" to her work, including for clients with exhibition launches and public art projects. "You feel that this is something you can rely upon. It's quite incredible that it's not been sorted yet," she said.
Others initially welcomed the break from emails, with one person describing it as "absolute bliss" until realising it was a crucial day to conclude a business deal. A Radio 1 listener likened it to an "adult snow day."
As the situation develops, authorities continue to monitor the impact and advise the public on alternative arrangements.
