Your views on the creation of a new NHS Online Trust
We would like to hear your views about this new service, called the NHS Online Trust, so that we can submit your feedback as part of our response to a government consultation.
NHS Online Trust
The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England want to establish a new NHS service which will deliver hospital care online (i.e. virtually/ digitally*) as an alternative to seeing someone in person. This service will be optional for patients.
This will be a brand-new NHS Trust operating across England where care will be delivered digitally/online as a ‘virtual hospital.’ More information can be found here and we recommend watching this short video (below) which explains how it will work.
For more information about a new NHS Online Trust, watch the following video from NHS England.
*Virtual or Digital care refers to the use of technology to deliver health and care services. For example, you may have contacted your GP online to book appointments or have been seen online rather than in person. Using the NHS App to request prescriptions is another type of digital care. Artificial Intelligence is often used as part of virtual care.
How will the NHS Online Trust work?
GPs will refer patients to the NHS Online Trust, but patients can choose if they want to be referred. The first patients will be able to use the service from 2027.
Initially, the NHS Online Trust will be an option for patients who are awaiting care for conditions related to gastroenterology, urology, gynaecology, and ophthalmology, which currently have some of the longest waiting times to be seen. This list will be expanded over time.
Patients using the NHS Online Trust will have their care managed through the NHS App:
- to book an appointment and to see a specialist online;
- to receive prescriptions;
- to arrange physical scans and tests;
- to get advice on managing their condition;
- to get information on appointments, test results, and their condition.
The aims behind creating the new Trust are to speed up waiting times, provide patients with improved access, give patients more choice and control over their own care, and to transform and modernise the NHS by maximising the use of digital technology.
Share your views
Please share your views about this new service, called the NHS Online Trust, so that we can submit your feedback as part of our response to a government consultation. This survey consists of (up to) seven questions and closes on 25th February.
If you would like assistance with this survey or require a different format, please contact us via: office@hwbh.co.uk or 01273 234 040 (Monday to Friday from 9-5pm)
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