Hundreds of people in Moray were unable to see their GPs after a computer system crashed, blocking access to medical records.
Patients were turned away from the Maryhill Practice at Elgin Health Centre after doctors decided it would be too dangerous to treat them without being able to check their medical history.
The centre stayed open for emergencies, but practice manager Eileen Rae said it was the first time in her 21 years in the role that patients could not be treated.
“It is very disappointing to say the least,” she said.
Mrs Rae said the situation came to a head when computers crashed last Tuesday.
Around 200 patients were affected and it had been distressing for medical centre staff who were forced to tell them they could not be seen by a doctor on that day.
She added: “It was difficult for patients to understand why we needed the computer before the doctor can treat them but it would be unfair for a doctor to go ahead and carry out something that may compromise a patient.
“They would have to rely on a patient giving their own medical history and some people may not always remember if they have had a bad reaction to certain medications in the past.”
The situation was relieved slightly for the rest of the week when NHS Grampian gave Maryhill Practice staff access to a back-up system to enable patient records to be viewed and updated.
Mrs Rae said each patient’s medical record had to be painstakingly printed out and handed to doctors so that they could treat patients.
The main system is now up and running again.
A NHS source, who asked not to be identified, claimed that IT problems have been occurring regularly for the last two-and-a-half-years since NHS Grampian took over the IT service.
NHS Grampian insisted the claim was untrue.
A spokeswoman said problems have been experienced over the last two months.
She added: “The In Practice Systems (INPS) Vision system has been used at Maryhill Practice for a number of years and is one of the longest customers of this system in Grampian. As part of a three-year major technology refresh programme, Maryhill Practice were migrated on to new technology about 15 months ago.
“NHS Grampian's Department of eHealth are working closely with INPS and Microsoft to resolve these issues and we apologise for the length of time it is taking to reach a conclusion.”