GP practices in England and Wales are experiencing disruption to their websites, after a company providing their practices’ websites entered administration.
Practices in Gloucestershire said they had been advised by NHS England at the end of last week ‘that Silicon Practice had gone into administration’.
In a message to patients, Painswick Surgery said they have now been alerted that the company has ceased trading and ‘the website has been taken down completely’.
Pulse was told that other GP practices in Gloucestershire are also experiencing the same issue, with ‘hundreds of GP practices nationwide’ being impacted. GPs told Pulse that practices are concerned about the workload implications, as many patient contacts now come in via their websites.
Swansea Bay University Health Board also said that some practices in its area have been affected by ‘a third-party company that provides their practice websites entering administration’.
‘As a result, the practices’ websites will cease to operate. However, the practices have not been advised when this will occur, and if notice is provided, it is expected to be very short,’ it said in an announcement.
It comes as Schappit, the owner of Silicon, filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators earlier this month.
NHS England told Pulse that it has contacted affected practices, with ‘actions for how to maintain business continuity and minimise impact on patient care’. It added that practices ‘must confirm their mitigation plans with the relevant ICB’, with NHS England’s regional digital teams providing ‘appropriate oversight and assurance’.
The message from the Painswick Surgery said: ‘We had been advised by NHS England and Gloucestershire ICB at the end of last week that Silicon Practice (the company who runs GP websites across Gloucestershire) had gone into administration.
‘We have now been alerted that they have ceased trading and the website has been taken down completely. We understand that NHSE and the ICB are working to help us identify alternative website providers so that we can get our website back online as soon as possible.’
A message from the Willow Tree Practice in Gloucestershire, seen by Pulse, said: ‘You may have noticed that our website is down. This is due to an issue with the supplier and is impacting hundreds of GP practices nationwide.
‘We’re sorry for any inconvenience this causes, but we wanted to remind patients that access via the NHS App, and via SystemOnline is not impacted and can still be used to communicate with us.
‘You can still make prescription requests by calling us and leaving a voicemail. Thank you for your understanding.’
The Chipping Surgery, also in Gloucestershire, said: ‘Unfortunately, our website provider, which supports GP practice websites across Gloucestershire ICB, has gone into administration and ceased trading. Our website was deleted on Tuesday, shortly before we received notification.
‘We appreciate this is inconvenient and apologise for the disruption. We are working to understand what happens next and will update patients as soon as we have further information.’
In a message to patients, three Welsh practices affected said: ‘We would like to inform all patients that the third-party company providing our practice website has gone into administration. As a result, our website may stop working at any time, with little or no notice.
‘Should this happen please direct all prescription requests for sick notes (fit notes) to the practice’s general email address.
‘We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience and understanding while we work to minimise any disruption to our patient services. Thank you for your understanding.’
An NHS England spokesperson told Pulse: ‘While the majority of GP practice websites are running as normal, some practices which use Silicon Practice will be affected by the company going into administration.
‘If your GP practice website is unavailable and you need help, you should contact your practice by phone or in person as usual.’
Pulse has contacted Silicon for comment.