Welsh GP websites disrupted after technology firm collapses

Nation.Cymru staff/agencies

Three GP practices in Neath and Port Talbot have been identified as facing disruption to their websites after their technology provider collapsed into administration.

Swansea Bay University Health Board named Mount Surgery in Port Talbot, Castle Surgery in Neath and Victoria Gardens Surgery in Neath as those affected.

The health board said their websites would cease operating, but the practices had not been told when.

Any notice was expected to be very short.

The warnings follow the collapse of Silicon Practice, which supplied GP websites, online consultation systems and chatbots to practices across the UK.

Patients at the three Welsh surgeries have been given alternative ways to contact their practice.

Mount Surgery has asked patients to direct requests by telephone on 01639 502792.

Castle Surgery has directed patients to [email protected] if its website becomes unavailable, while Victoria Gardens Surgery has asked patients to send prescription and fit note requests to [email protected].

Both Neath practices asked patients emailing requests to include their full name, date of birth, address and telephone number.

In its notice, Victoria Gardens Surgery said: “As a result, our website may stop working at any time, with little or no notice.”

The practices apologised for the inconvenience and said they were working to minimise disruption to patient services.

The company’s collapse has affected thousands of patients across parts of Wales and England, with some practices already losing access to websites and online consultation tools.

Silicon Practice supplied the FootFall platform, which it advertised as being used by more than 1,000 GP practices across the UK.

The wider extent of disruption across Wales has not been confirmed.

Practices in Gloucestershire and London are also affected. NHS England said fewer than 10% of England’s approximately 6,000 GP practices were affected by the company entering administration.

Rowcroft Medical Centre in Stroud, whose website is down, told patients that appointments, telephone calls, emails, the NHS app and its Facebook page remained unaffected.

It asked anyone who had recently submitted an online form without receiving a response to telephone the practice.

An NHS England spokesperson said: “If your GP practice website is unavailable and you need help, you should contact your practice by phone or in person as usual.”

NHS England said affected practices had received advice on maintaining services and limiting the impact on patient care.

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