GP practice websites across Gloucestershire have gone offline after Silicon Practice, the company that ran them, went into administration. Several surgeries say patients can no longer use their websites for online requests, while NHS Gloucestershire says GP appointments are unaffected.
What Happened
Silicon Practice provides websites and online services to GP practices in England and Wales. Its parent company, Schappit Ltd, has gone into administration and the business has ceased trading, according to Pulse. Gloucestershire surgeries say their sites have been taken down. Painswick Surgery told patients its website had been taken down completely, and The Chipping Surgery said its website was deleted on Tuesday, shortly before it was told of the collapse.
Patients Asked to Use Phone and NHS App
The Willow Tree Practice in Stonehouse told patients its website was down because of a supplier issue affecting hundreds of practices nationwide. It said patients can still use the NHS App and order prescriptions by calling the practice. Rowcroft Medical Centre in Stroud said appointments, telephone calls, emails, the NHS App and its Facebook page were unaffected. It asked patients who had sent an online form and had no reply to call the practice instead.
NHS Gloucestershire said it was working with practices and partners to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. It said GP services remain open and appointments are unaffected, but practice teams may be handling more calls than usual, so patients may face longer waits. It apologised for the inconvenience.
Background
Digital Health News reported that more than 1,000 GP practices rely on Silicon Practice’s FootFall dashboard to connect patients and healthcare professionals. NHS England told Pulse that the majority of practice websites are running as normal, and said fewer than 500 practices, under 10 per cent of the total, are affected. Pulse reported that GPs are concerned about the workload, because many patient contacts now come through practice websites.
Dr Marcus Baw, a GP and clinical informatician, told Digital Health News that there was no central contingency plan for hundreds of GP websites if a supplier went out of business. Swansea Bay University Health Board has said three practice websites in its area have also ceased to operate.
What Happens Next
NHS England has told affected practices to confirm their mitigation plans with their integrated care boards. Painswick Surgery said NHS England and the ICB are working to identify alternative website providers so its site can return as soon as possible. No timescale for restoring the websites has been given.
Patients who need urgent help should use NHS 111 online or call 111. For routine matters, practices ask patients to contact them by phone or in person as usual.
This is a developing story, and we will update it as more information becomes available.
