Unity Health to end online booking system and install ‘simple telephone-based system’

This news follows the revelation that their phone lines haven’t been working all term


In light of recent problems, Unity Health have announced they will be ending their online consultation system online on the 15th of June intending to "review how we can make this work better for patients and the practice".

The decision comes after complications arising from Unity Health's recent move to the Heslington East campus saw many students unable to make appointments.

Unity Health apologised to "any of our patients who’ve been inconvenienced or struggled through the period of transition with the move to our new building".

They also went on to assure students that the new system will be fully fit for purpose and address problems students have been having. To ensure that demand is met Unity Health have also taken on new staff and provided additional call handling training.

Unity Health released a statement yesterday, which in full says:

"Like every other GP practice in the country, we’re experiencing unprecedented levels of demand and are constantly exploring new ways to continue to provide the best care to our patients in the face of this pressure on services.

"Therefore, after much thought and consideration, we will be temporarily withdrawing our online triage system on 15 June, while we review how we can make this work better for patients and the practice. A simple telephone-based system will be available to contact the practice during this period.

"We are also working with our telephony provider to review how the new telephone system can be better configured to ensure that patients are able to call the practice and have their calls answered quickly by the right member of staff. The telephone engineers have given an assurance that the system will be fully fit for purpose. We have also taken on new staff and provided additional call handling training.

"We would like to take this opportunity again to apologise to any of our patients who’ve been inconvenienced or struggled through the period of transition with the move to our new building. This has been a huge undertaking and we feel will be a positive move for the future, for the development of our Practice and the services we can offer. We are lucky to have such hardworking and committed staff who work alongside ourselves to ensure that we offer the best service, and would ask that you bear with us, as we go through this period of transition.

"We are working closely with our local Healthwatch team (https://www.healthwatchyork.co.uk), Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group and the University of York to ensure we keep listening to what our patients and partners are telling us."

If you would like to speak to us confidentially about your experiences of using Unity Health, please email: [email protected]