Microsoft outage disrupts Suffolk emergency services and hospitals

Summarised from 3 outlets · 9 reports · Updated 14 Nov, 13:01 · Archive

A global Microsoft outage left millions without access to email and Teams, affecting emergency services, hospitals, councils and businesses across Suffolk for several hours.

A global Microsoft outage disrupted services across Suffolk on Thursday evening and continued into Friday, affecting millions of users worldwide. The problems hit Microsoft 365 services including Outlook, Teams and the firm's artificial intelligence software Copilot, leaving organisations unable to access email and online communications.

Emergency services in Suffolk were among those affected. Suffolk Police warned that some online reports submitted through its website could be affected, while Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service urged people with urgent enquiries to call rather than use online forms. Ipswich Hospital said patients and service users could experience delays or difficulties sending and receiving emails with clinical teams. The East of England Ambulance Service confirmed teams remained operational despite disruption to its systems.

Local authorities also reported significant problems. Suffolk County Council was unable to access Outlook and other Microsoft services, affecting email communications. Essex and Suffolk Water said its customer teams could be slower than usual to respond. National Rail warned that some passengers who had purchased e-tickets after the outage began might be unable to access their tickets via email.

The outage had particular impact on healthcare. Rachel Andrews, assistant manager at the Orchard Medical Practice in Ipswich, said having no access to emails impacted prescriptions. 'If we haven't got the hospital discharge summaries, we don't know what medications need changing, so that means a delay in the changes to patient treatments,' she said. 'It's very hard for us to prescribe when we don't know what has been prescribed, and we cannot prescribe blindly – it could be very serious.' She added that the outage placed additional pressure on already overstretched reception staff.

Microsoft issued regular updates throughout the day, initially warning that fixes were not working as expected before later reporting gradual improvements by Friday afternoon. The company said the issue was not caused by a cyber-security incident but by higher-than-usual stress on its servers. Downing Street said ministers were being regularly briefed on the situation and that contingency arrangements had been put in place where services were affected.

How it is being reported

• Hospitals, police and councils hit as Microsoft outage impacts SuffolkSuffolk services disrupted by global Microsoft outage affecting Outlook and Teams, with police, hospitals, councils and businesses reporting email problems.East Anglian Daily Times · 14 Nov, 08:00
• Hospitals, police and councils hit as Microsoft outage impacts SuffolkSuffolk services disrupted by global Microsoft outage affecting Outlook and Teams, with police, hospitals, councils and businesses reporting email problems.Ipswich Star · 14 Nov, 08:00
• 'Microsoft outage put patients in a bad situation'Widespread Microsoft connectivity issues hit services and organisations across Suffolk.BBC Suffolk · 14 Nov, 06:41
• Recap after Suffolk businesses and services hit by Microsoft outageRecap after a worldwide Microsoft outage affects emergency services and businesses in Suffolk.East Anglian Daily Times · 13 Nov, 10:02
• Follow live as Suffolk businesses and services hit by ongoing Microsoft outageLive updates as a worldwide Microsoft outage affects emergency services and businesses in Suffolk.East Anglian Daily Times · 13 Nov, 10:02
• Follow live as Suffolk businesses and services hit by ongoing Microsoft outageLive updates as a worldwide Microsoft outage affects emergency services and businesses in Suffolk.Ipswich Star · 13 Nov, 10:02
• Recap after Suffolk businesses and services hit by Microsoft outageRecap after a worldwide Microsoft outage affects emergency services and businesses in Suffolk.Ipswich Star · 13 Nov, 10:02
• Emergency services in Suffolk hit by Microsoft outageA global Microsoft outage has affected Suffolk emergency services, with police and fire urging residents to call 101 or 999 rather than use online forms.East Anglian Daily Times · 13 Nov, 09:31
• Emergency services in Suffolk hit by Microsoft outageA global Microsoft outage has affected Suffolk emergency services, with police and fire urging residents to call 101 or 999 rather than use online forms.Ipswich Star · 13 Nov, 09:31

In this story: Microsoft · Suffolk Police · Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service · Ipswich Hospital · Suffolk County Council · East of England Ambulance Service · Suffolk · Orchard Medical Practice

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log