Full list of UK services affected by Microsoft’s global IT outage

A global IT outage is causing disruptions across the UK and the rest of the world this morning (Friday 19 July).

From airports to GP surgeries, some services in the UK are struggling to function after a major IT outage is believed to have been caused by a faulty update to widely used cybersecurity software.

Major infrastructures including airlines, train companies, banks and media have experienced problems after their computer systems went offline or devices displayed the so-called “Blue Screen of Death” (BSOD).

Which services are affected in the UK?

In the UK, Sky News was taken off the air because it was unable to broadcast due to the outage. However, that problem has since been resolved.

Sky Sports News, CBBC and London Stock Exchange News Platform (RNS) were also affected by the outage.

The National Rail Enquiries website, which provides information about train services, warned passengers that there are “widespread IT issues across the network”.

Sky News has shared the full list of services disrupted in the UK.

It says these are the train companies that are affected:

• Forward West Coast

• Gatwick Express

• Great Northern

• Great Western Railway

• Trains from Romp

• London North West

• Lumo Railway

• Northern Railway

• Southern Railway

• Thames connection

• TransPennine

• West Midlands Rail

A spokesman for Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, said the outage was “affecting certain systems”.

She continued: “The flights are operational and we are implementing contingency plans to minimise the impact on travel.”

Long queues formed at airports such as Gatwick, Luton and Edinburgh.

According to Sky News, the following UK airports have been affected:

• Heathrow – flights “operational” but delays

• Luton – Using Manual Systems for Check-in Services

• London Gatwick – warning of delays

• Manchester – Check-in takes longer with some airlines

• Edinburgh Airport – Longer waiting times due to power outage

• Stansted Airport – Check-in services are manual

• Liverpool Airport – Airlines affected

• Birmingham Airport – Some delays at check-in

The affected airlines are:

Ferry services at the port of Dover are disrupted and people should expect longer waiting times.

GP practices and pharmacies in England are also experiencing problems, with some GP practices reporting on social media that they cannot access the EMIS web system.

EMIS Web is the most widely used clinical system for primary care in the UK. It enables GP practices to book appointments, view records and includes a clinical decision support tool. It also helps with administration.

Those affected include Wilmslow Health Centre in Cheshire, Solihull Healthcare Partnership in the West Midlands and Central Lakes Medical Group in Ambleside.

Football clubs have also been affected, including Manchester United (ticket sales delayed) and Hibernian Football Club (general ticket sales delayed).

According to Sky News, other clubs in the English Football League could be in more trouble, as they also experienced problems this morning:

• Blackburn

• Bolton

• Bradford

• Chesterfield

• Huddersfield

• Leyton Orient

• Lincoln

• Plymouth

• Preston

• Rotherham

• Walsall

Doctor says power outage ‘unsafe’ for patients

Dr Farah Jameel, a GP in central London who works at Museum Practice, told the PA news agency she does not have access to patient details, photo results, medication history and blood tests.

“We are still exploring what this could mean for our practice,” she said.

“At this time, we do not have access to patient records and we try to assess patients on a case-by-case basis.

“We do not have access to blood test results, imaging results and clinical history and expect the work on clinical documentation to pile up over the course of the day.

“Patient care pathways are being disrupted because we are unable to organize simple treatment plans, such as organizing tests and providing regular medications.

“We operate a clinical triage system so that we can ensure the safety of our patients and see those with the greatest clinical need. Everyone else who can safely wait will be referred to another day.”

Dr. Jameel also emphasized how “unsafe” the interruption is.

“I think we need to emphasize the clinical impact of this IT disruption, how badly it has disrupted clinical care. This is unsafe.”

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) also said that “community pharmacy services, including access to GP prescriptions and the supply of medicines, have been disrupted today”.

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Banks, supermarkets and other large institutions around the world have reported computer problems that have led to disruptions in services.

Many businesses cannot accept digital payments.

Microsoft is aware of the outage issue

Microsoft has confirmed that it is aware of the issues with its Azure cloud platform and has resolved them. However, many cybersecurity experts have pointed to global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike as the possible source of the problem. CrowdStrike provides monitoring and protection against cyberattacks to many large companies.

According to experts, a faulty update to CrowdStrike’s Falcon Sensor software could be the cause of the problem.

CrowdStrike has not publicly acknowledged any issues yet.

Microsoft said in a statement that a fix for Windows devices is coming “soon.”

It said: “We are aware of an issue affecting Windows devices due to a third-party software platform update. We expect a resolution to be available shortly.”