On today's chart 38K views since yesterday

Microsoft outage delays NHS referrals as emergency care continues

BBC News's follow-up examines the disruption to public services, with paper backups helping some operations continue and patients advised to keep booked appointments.

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BBC News Story of November 13, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of the most watched videos since yesterday, with 38,488 views.

How Microsoft outage has affected schools, doctors, and businesses | BBC News

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0:44Microsoft attributes the disruption to elevated infrastructure load rather than malicious activity.
8:04Some MPs' email and casework systems are disrupted, but parliamentary debate continues.
10:12NHS disruption includes cancelled elective appointments and delayed referrals; emergency services continue, with paper logs where needed.
16:58NHS England advises patients to attend scheduled appointments unless told otherwise.
20:53Vallance says emails are unlikely to be lost, but backlogs and system recovery will take time.
22:20Watson reports that paper-based operations have kept prison releases unaffected.

Patients should attend scheduled appointments unless told otherwise: that is NHS England's advice in BBC News's extended report on the Microsoft outage, even as some services face cancellations and delays.

The BBC Your Voice segment moves beyond the technical failure to its practical consequences. Health reporter Jim Reed describes delayed GP referrals, cancelled elective appointments and difficulties accessing prescription requests and patient emails. The disruption varies by region and by the systems each service uses. Emergency services are operating normally, with paper logs used where necessary.

The broadcast, uploaded today, drew about 38,000 views in its first two hours. It follows the BBC's earlier explanation of the server failures with a wider look at what happens when familiar workplace tools become unavailable across healthcare, schools, businesses and government.

At Westminster, political correspondent Ian Watson reports that some MPs' email and incoming casework have been disrupted, but parliamentary debate continues. Prison releases are unaffected, he says, because those operations use paper-based processes. Key UK intelligence and security networks do not rely on Microsoft.

Microsoft attributes the outage to elevated demand on its infrastructure and says it has found no indication of malicious activity. Technology reporter Chris Vallance explains how server failures can cascade into wider slowdowns, while cybersecurity adviser Jake Moore warns that restoring traffic too quickly can overwhelm systems again.

For people waiting on messages, Vallance says lost emails are unlikely, though clearing the backlog and stabilising services will take time. The report's later health update repeats the practical instruction: keep booked appointments unless contacted, and expect some tasks to take longer.

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