The email system for the United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS) underwent severe malfunctions Monday after an IT worker accidentally sent a message to roughly 840,000 employees.
“This was due to an NHS Mail user setting up an email distribution list which, due to a bug in the supplier’s system, inadvertently included everyone on the NHS Mail list,” an NHS digital spokesman told The Telegraph.
Staff members of the healthcare system used the communication feature “reply to all” after receiving the email, which inundated the public health care organization’s servers with intense amounts of traffic.
Doctors, nurses and medical professionals used social media platforms to communicate their frustration over the incident, since emailing would not sufficiently work.
Some even said they could not log into their accounts (which feature other job functions) altogether.
A man, who reportedly works at NHS, described the on-going vexation.
OMG. So the whole NHS has been added to a email list by mistake Currently 54 replies from people asking to be removed. Today will hurt.
— Olly Benson (@ollybenson) November 14, 2016
NHS staff deleting emails quicker than Hilary Clinton #nhsmail #DayWasted
— Joe Matthews (@joe300991) November 14, 2016
Shout out for all the NHS staff still suffering from #nhsmail gate! We feel your pain! https://t.co/zJfO9fhBXw
— NHS Million (@NHSMillion) November 14, 2016
Even after other IT specialists deleted the distribution list, accounts were still rendered useless since emails were still being directed to recipients.
“Mistakes happen, of course, but when it means urgent messages about patient care aren’t getting through, or that receiving important information is delayed, it becomes a very serious issue,” Maureen Baker, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), told The Telegraph.
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