Wigan GP surgeries in chaos after IT system goes down

Several practices took to social media to say they were having problems. Some said the issue was nationwide, others that it was confined to the Greater Manchester area.

The main casualty was AskmyGP, an online service that allows GPs to manage patient caseload through a system of "digital triage". Patients can also use the service to receive consultation from their GP online or by phone.

Ruth Clifford, from Wigan, who has a family member in urgent need of GP care, said: “The staff in GP practices are coping admirably but it must be extremely stressful for them.

"They’re having to revert back to manual systems like they used to in the old days.”

Standish Medical Practice posted on its Facebook page: “We have absolutely no internet access and are unable to access AskmyGP right now. We are also unable to close it as we can’t access our website either. Please please do not send in any requests through the system until we let you know we can access it again. This is a national issue and we are hoping it is resolved quickly.”

Marus Bridge Practice posted: “Our staff are working hard to ensure those with urgent needs are dealt with despite no access to medical records.

“We thank you for your patience but sadly we are still experiencing difficulties with phones, clinical system and AskmyGP.”

And Shevington Surgery posted: “We are currently unable to access AskmyGP or monitor any requests but we are aware patients are still able to submit requests.

“Please do not submit any AskmyGP requests until this problem has been solved as we are unable to deal with them.”

A spokesperson for NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care said this afternoon: “The IT issues affecting some GP practices and phone lines in Greater Manchester has now been resolved.

“If your query is urgent please contact your GP practice as normal however they may be experiencing a high volume of calls.

"NHS111 can also be contacted if your require medical help or advice. In emergencies, please dial 999.”