Hundreds of NHS GP practice websites in England and Wales have become unavailable after Silicon Practice, the tech company that ran their digital services, entered administration. The firm's parent company, Schappit Ltd, filed a notice of administration earlier this month following financial difficulties.
Silicon Practice provided websites, online booking and consultation tools for around 500 practices in England, just under 10% of the total, as well as services in Wales. Affected surgeries include Millwood Medical Practice in Great Yarmouth and Southgate Surgery in north London, where patients now see a 'Bad Gateway' error message.
NHS England said it had contacted practices to ensure the impact on patients was minimised. A spokesperson said: "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."
School Lane Surgery in Thetford posted on social media that the disruption would last longer than hoped. "We are exploring alternative options for our website and online forms while we await further updates from NHS England," the practice said. "Our phone lines are busier than usual, so please expect longer waiting times."
Prof Victoria Tzortziou Brown, president of the Royal College of GPs, said websites not working can be “hugely disruptive” for patients and that affected practices must receive prompt, practical support from NHS England and local NHS organisations to restore their websites. The NHS app continues to function. Since last year, all practices in England have been required to offer online appointment booking, and more than 40% of appointments are now made that way.
Analysis
Why it matters
- Patients across England and Wales cannot access online booking, consultations or practice information, forcing a return to phone calls and in-person visits.
- The outage highlights the vulnerability of NHS digital services when a single provider fails, as more than 40% of appointments are now booked online.
- GP practices, already under pressure, face increased phone demand and administrative burden until websites are restored.
Background
Silicon Practice was a technology provider to GP surgeries in the UK, offering tools to reduce phone call volumes and manage demand. Its parent company Schappit Ltd filed a notice of administration earlier this month amid financial difficulties. The NHS has required all practices in England to offer online booking since last year, making the loss of digital services particularly significant.
Key perspectives
- NHS England: says while the majority of GP websites are unaffected, affected practices should be contacted by phone or in person.
- School Lane Surgery, Thetford: confirmed the disruption will last longer than hoped and that they are exploring alternative options.
- Prof Victoria Tzortziou Brown, President of the Royal College of GPs: called the outage hugely disruptive and urged prompt support from NHS England.
What to watch
- Whether NHS England provides a timeline for restoring Silicon Practice-based websites or migrating practices to alternative providers.
- If other digital health firms face similar financial pressures, potentially causing further disruptions.
- The possibility of a review into NHS reliance on single vendors for critical primary care infrastructure.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 2 sources: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- Partly supportedAround 500 practices in England were affected.BBC News: “Silicon Practice ran digital services, including websites, online booking and consultations, for around 500 practices in England – just under 10% of the total.”
- SupportedGP surgery websites went dark as Silicon Practice entered administration.The Independent UK: “Hundreds of NHS websites across England and Wales have crashed after their online provider entered administration.”
- SupportedHundreds of NHS GP practice websites in England and Wales became unavailable after Silicon Practice entered administration.The Independent UK: “Hundreds of NHS websites across England and Wales have crashed after their online provider entered administration.”
- SupportedSchappit Ltd filed a notice of administration earlier this month after financial difficulties.The Independent UK: “A notice of administration was filed by Silicon’s parent company, Schappit Ltd, earlier this month, after facing financial difficulties.”
- SupportedSilicon Practice provided websites, online booking and consultation services for around 500 practices in England, just under 10% of the total, and services in Wales.BBC News: “Silicon Practice ran digital services, including websites, online booking and consultations, for around 500 practices in England – just under 10% of the total. [...] Services in Wales are also affected.”
- SupportedMillwood Medical Practice and Southgate Surgery were among the affected practices, and their websites showed a ‘Bad Gateway’ error.The Independent UK: “Patients visiting sites for surgeries such as Millwood Medical Practice in Great Yarmouth and Southgate Surgery in north London now only receive automated error messages reading ‘Bad Gateway’.”
- SupportedNHS England said it had contacted practices and advised patients whose websites were unavailable to contact their practice by phone or in person.The Independent UK: “NHS England said it had contacted practices to ensure the impact on patients was minimal. A spokesperson said: "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."”
- SupportedSchool Lane Surgery said the disruption to its website and online forms would last longer than hoped.The Independent UK: ““Unfortunately, the disruption to our website and online forms is going to last longer than we had hoped.””
- SupportedSchool Lane Surgery said it was exploring alternatives while awaiting updates from NHS England.The Independent UK: ““We are exploring alternative options for our website and online forms while we await further updates from NHS England.””
- SupportedSchool Lane Surgery said its phone lines were busier than usual and callers should expect longer waiting times.The Independent UK: ““Our phone lines are busier than usual, so please expect longer waiting times.””
- SupportedProf Victoria Tzortziou Brown said website outages can be “hugely disruptive” for patients and affected practices need prompt, practical support from NHS England and local NHS organisations to restore their websites.BBC News: ““When websites are not working, it can be hugely disruptive for patients and place additional pressures on already stretched practice teams.” She said affected practices must receive prompt, practical support from NHS England and local NHS organisations to restore their websites”
- SupportedSince last year, all practices in England have been required to offer online appointment booking.BBC News: “Since last year, all practices in England have had to offer online appointment booking.”
