Major IT Outage Causes Widespread Disruption to Schools, Healthcare Services, and Transportation in Hampshire, Isle of Wight, and Dorset
Fiona Nanna, ForeMedia News
6 minutes read. Updated 1:41PM GMT Fri, 19July, 2024
A widespread IT outage has caused significant disruption to schools, healthcare services, and transport providers, impacting daily life in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, and Dorset. This unprecedented failure has caused chaos around the globe, affecting major banks, media outlets, and airlines. The issue began when an update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike led to Microsoft systems crashing, resulting in widespread “blue screens.”
In the United Kingdom, train operators Southern and South Western Railway reported issues, particularly with ticket vending machines. At Southampton Station, travelers faced long queues as automated ticket machines were out of action. BBC reporter Jamie Morris noted that staff were directing customers to purchase tickets manually at the ticket offices. Despite the inconvenience, he reported, “It looks like they are dealing with it [and] no trains have been delayed at the moment. People seem to be cracking on and making do.” E-ticket scanners at the station were functioning normally.
Across England, GP surgeries have struggled to book appointments or access patient records due to the failure of the EMIS Web system. Living Well, which operates four GP surgeries in Southampton, informed patients: “Due to a national issue with our clinical systems, we are unable to access your medical records.” Manpreet Gill of Shirley Pharmacy in Southampton reported similar difficulties, stating that they were unable to receive and download prescriptions from doctors’ surgeries. “We can still help patients and phone lines are still working,” Gill said. “We’re trying our best to help patients as much as possible and we can do an emergency supply if we need to. We’re just waiting until it’s back to normal.”
The IT meltdown also impacted other sectors. Emily Davis, working at Austen and Wyatt estate agents on Shirley High Street, described facing “blank screens” and being unable to accept offers on homes. Her colleague, AJ Singh, resorted to traditional methods, saying, “I’ve been out leafleting, door knocking, trying to gain business the old school way. We literally can do nothing in the office – we’re not making any money.”
Educational institutions were not spared. Oasis Academy Mayfield in Southampton announced its closure for the day due to the outage. Independent commercial radio station Isle of Wight Radio was unable to broadcast live, while entertainment venue MAST Mayflower Studios in Southampton resumed online ticket sales but could not process in-person or telephone sales. Monkey World, near Wareham in Dorset, experienced problems processing card payments, advising visitors on social media to book tickets online and bring cash for in-park spending.
Southampton Airport reported it was “largely unaffected” by the IT failure, with only a few airlines moving to manual check-in and some retailers accepting only cash payments. The airport advised passengers to check the status of their flights before traveling, anticipating possible delays due to knock-on effects. Ryanair, operating out of Bournemouth Airport, announced that its booking and check-in systems were unavailable, advising passengers to check-in at the airport.
Despite the widespread disruptions, DP World, which manages Southampton docks, confirmed normal operations.
For more information on the global IT outage and its impacts, visit BBC News.
