UK government’s new NHS online hospital service, launching in 2027

• Service Delivery: Patients referred by a GP will have the option to use the NHS App for online consultations, assessments, and follow-up appointments with specialists from across England.
• Integrated Care: Physical tests, scans, and procedures will still be conducted at local healthcare sites, while clinicians will review results remotely.
• Goals: The primary goal is to leverage technology to cut elective care waiting lists, deliver 8.5 million virtual appointments within the first three years, and ensure more efficient, equitable access to care by ending the “postcode lottery” of treatment availability.
• Patient Choice: Patients will always retain the choice of having face-to-face appointments if preferred.
• Community Focus: This initiative builds on existing pilots, such as the single point of access system developed by Moorfields Eye Hospital, which streamlines referrals and allows for more care to be managed in community settings by optometrists, reducing pressure on hospitals. 

Specsavers comment on NHS Online announcement

Giles Edmonds, clinical services director at Specsavers, says: ‘We welcome the government’s announcement about the priority areas for NHS Online. It recognises that eye care is a vital part of the nation’s health – with glaucoma, cataracts and conditions affecting the retina at the back of the eye included among the priorities for NHS Online.

‘More broadly, NHS Online is a welcome opportunity to improve both equitable access to care for patients and deliver patient choice. Key to unlocking its full potential will be using the skills, capability and capacity of community optometry – including delivery of enhanced optical services on the high street.

‘With more than 1,000 practices across the country, Specsavers stands ready to support the government’s ambitions and deliver for patients and the communities that we serve. We look forward to engaging positively with policy makers as plans for NHS Online move forward.’

Comment on NHS Online announcement from Newmedica 

Karen Croker, contracting and managed services director at Newmedica, says: ‘We note the announcement that eye health is among the priority areas for NHS Online. Ensuring timely, accessible care for patients is essential to prevent avoidable sight loss – with patient choice being an important mechanism to achieving this objective.

‘As a long-standing provider of NHS Ophthalmology services, Newmedica’s consultant-led teams already provide excellent care and treatment to patients with a range of conditions – including glaucoma, cataracts and AMD. We stand ready and able to do more. We also support patient choice, which must be safeguarded.

‘Newmedica has also safely and successfully used virtual treatment pathways for many years in conjunction with our national network of clinics and prior to those; mobile clinics. We also recognise the vital role community optometry plays in the development of such solutions.

‘Newmedica remains committed to working collaboratively with government and stakeholders – always keeping patients at the heart of everything we do – as plans for NHS Online develop.’