A COUNCILLOR has called for major telephone problems at a York GP surgery to be scrutinised by councillors.

Cllr Mark Warters spoke out after The Press revealed earlier today how patients at Unity Health's new £2.5 million Kimberlow Hill medical centre in Heslington had been left hanging on the phone for hours while trying to make an appointment.

Patients told how they ended up having to travel to the surgery just to make an appointment face-to-face or go instead to York Hospital for a blood test.

The centre said the problems were 'unacceptable' and down to a new telephony system, and it was in discussions with NHS Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and BT to try to resolve the problems as quickly as possible.

Independent Osbaldwick and Derwent Cllr Warters said Unity Health should be invited to the June meeting of City of York Council's Heath Scrutiny Committee

He said: "It should be the job of this committee to ‘scrutinise’ such huge and disruptive changes to patient provision like this and not be left to the media.

"The organisation needs to be publicly questioned over the points raised in the Press article."