NHS trusts, councils and police in the south-east England have been affected by the global Microsoft outage.
Microsoft 365 Services, including Teams, Outlook and Microsoft’s artificial intelligence software Copilot, were hit by “connectivity problems”, the company says.
On Friday morning, most NHS trusts across Surrey, East and West Sussex, and Kent reported issues receiving and sending emails, while some said patient inquiries and referral correspondences were also affected.
Patients have been urged to contact NHS trusts by phone and to continue to attend planned appointments.
Local authorities and Gatwick Airport have also reported problems with emails, but Gatwick says it is operationally running as normal.
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust said: “Please continue to use services wisely.
“You can consult your GP or pharmacist for minor illnesses or injuries, and urgent treatment centres are also open.
“Please save our emergency departments for serious injuries or life-threatening conditions.”
Trusts reported procedures and appointments were going ahead as usual.
Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Trust said its 24/7 mental health crisis helpline was operating as usual.
“If you need urgent mental health support, please call 111 and select the mental health option or call 0800 915 4644,” it said.
The affected trusts
The NHS trusts in the south east of England that said they were affected were:
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Trust
Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust
Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust
Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
NHS Surrey and Sussex is urging residents to know where to go to get help over the coming days.
Those who need illnesses and injuries to be treated urgently, including broken bones, cuts and eye injuries, should go to urgent treatment centres and minor injury units.
Those with ongoing health concerns are asked to go to their GP practice and people who have minor illnesses are urged to go to a pharmacy.
West Sussex County Council says its emails and some other systems are not working as usual.
The local authority’s phone lines remained open, but it said some services could be unavailable.
Brighton & Hove City Council and East Sussex County Council have also urged residents to call as emails are affected.
Kent County Council (KCC) and Medway Council have also been affected
KCC said in a statement: “Other systems that rely on emails being sent may also be affected, including those on our website and offered by our contact centre.”
Sussex Police and Kent Police said its online reporting forms had been affected and people were urged to call 101, or 999 for emergencies.
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