The Prime Minister Keir Starmer used last week’s Labour Party Conference to announce a flagship new health policy: an online NHS hospital service, to run from 2027.
This new pledge aims to satisfy one of the key shifts for the NHS as outlined in the organisation’s Ten-Year Plan — making the NHS a digital-first health service.
Named NHS Online, the government claims the new service will cut waiting lists, allow patients to access hospital specialists digitally rather than face-to-face, and give patients more control over their health.
Clinical teams will be able to assess the severity of a patient’s condition through the NHS App, allowing for better allocation of resources. It will initially cover a small number of conditions and is set to build upon the approach of hospitals already offering digital triage and remote outpatient schemes.
In a further addition to the app, patients will be able to book a diagnostic test at their local Community Diagnostic Centre.
