Key Summary
- Starmer to launch NHS “online hospital” service by 2027
- Targets 8.5 million digital appointments in first three years
- Enables consultations, diagnostics and booking via the NHS app
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to announce the launch of new NHS online hospital service by 2027 during the Labour Party conference today.
The ‘new world’ helps to ease the waiting times, unburdening the system, the prime minister will say.
It will enable assessments, check-ups with consultants and follow-up appointments under the supervision two dedicated doctors.
"It's basically about modernising the NHS, helping it to move with the times," said health secretary Wes Streeting as he expressed his excitement regarding the project, which has proved to be a success in the pilots conducted in University Hospital Southampton and Moorfields.
The service will be phased in over two years and will allow users to make bookings for tests, scans or procedures at local community diagnostic centres via the app.
Ophthalmology, gynaecology and digestive conditions will be some of the major services it provides.
However, identifying the needy patients of each area remains a major concern.
Accessible via the NHS app, the new online hospital aims to deliver 8.5 million appointments and assessments in its first three years, about four times the output of a typical NHS trust.
This initiative is an emphasis on the 10 Year Health Plan’s shift from analogue to digital.
“The initiative would "deliver millions more appointments by the end of the decade, offering a real alternative for patients and more control over their own care," said Sir Jim Mackey, NHS England chief executive.
"The responsibility of this party is not just to celebrate the NHS, it's to make it better," assured PM Starmer.
