The NHS online hospital will launch in England next year, focussing on menopause, prostate and eye conditions, and will be available via the NHS app in 2027.
The service, first announced in September, will allow patients to have assessments, check-ups and follow-up appointments online with a dedicated team of doctors.
The aim is to carry out 8.5m appointments in the first three years, four times more than the average NHS trust. But experts have questioned how it will be staffed and paid for.
Professor Stella Vig, head of elective care at NHS England, said: “The NHS’s new online hospital will see a huge shift in the way we deliver care, giving patients the option to have an online appointment with a specialist anywhere in England.”
She added: “We know that these conditions can be painful and difficult to cope with so providing faster, more convenient access to diagnosis and treatments will have a real and positive impact on people’s lives.”
The nine conditions prioritised initially are: glaucoma, conditions affecting the retina at the back of the eye, cataracts, inflammatory bowel disease, iron deficiency anaemia, prostate enlargement, raised PSA levels, menopause and menstrual problems which may be a sign of endometriosis.
More conditions are expected to be added in the future.
Patients will have the option of using NHS Online when a GP makes a referral for specialist care.
Instead of having a physical site, patients will be able to receive care from doctors around the country, directly through the NHS app.
Tests, scans or procedures will take place at healthcare sites close to patients’ homes, while doctors review and assess notes remotely.
No patient will be forced down this route, NHS England said, as they can still choose face-to-face appointments.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said “everyone will benefit” from the service, adding that those choosing to go online may be seen more quickly, freeing up space for those who want in-person appointments.
The service builds on existing pilot schemes.
University Hospital Southampton developed a virtual follow-up service for low-risk inflammatory bowel disease, with three quarters of patients managed virtually and waiting times reduced by 58 per cent.
Moorfields Eye Hospital in London has introduced a virtual system for managing non-emergency eye referrals. More than half ended up being treated in routine clinics without the need for specialist treatment at Moorfields.
Peter Thomas, a consultant at Moorfields, said: “The impact is clear: patients are being seen more quickly in more appropriate settings, and the pressure on NHS services is being reduced.”
Dr Becks Fisher, of the Nuffield Trust think tank, said the service will be helpful for some and that focussing on menopause and menstrual health “makes sense” given the long waits for gynaecology services.
But she added “tricky questions remain”, including how the service will be staffed and paid for.
She also said: “NHS IT infrastructure could also pose a problem, as it will need to enable relevant information, like scan results, to be seen across different NHS organisations, something that is infamously difficult at the moment.”
