What Is The Government’s Digital Hospital Plan?

The NHS is building what it calls an online hospital, a service that will work entirely through digital connections rather than from a single physical site. NHS England announced that the first patients will start using it in 2027.

Instead of waiting for traditional referrals and appointments, patients will be triaged through the NHS App and directed to specialists working anywhere in the country. Those needing scans or tests will book them at local Community Diagnostic Centres at times that suit them. This system is meant to speed up treatment, cut delays and give patients more control over how they manage their health.

The service, NHS Online, is expected to deliver up to 8.5 million appointments and assessments in its first 3 years. That would be 4 times the volume handled by an average hospital trust. NHS leaders say the project will be rolled out first in treatment areas where waits are longest, but only if doctors confirm it is clinically safe to treat patients remotely.

Patients will also track prescriptions through the app and receive advice on managing their conditions at home. NHS England has said the change will make high quality care available more evenly, so postcode does not decide how long someone has to wait to see a specialist.

 

How Will Technology Fit Into NHS Online?

 

NHS Online is designed to build on digital tools already tested across England. Millions of people use the NHS App to manage their care, book appointments and order repeat prescriptions. The new service will extend that model and expand the use of remote monitoring and artificial intelligence.

According to NHS England, the programme will take lessons from 5 years of research on online care. That evidence will help influence how the digital hospital runs once it is live. It will also be created with patient partnership, meaning that patients will have a voice in how the service works.

Doctors are also expected to gain from having more flexibility. NHS England has said that clinicians will be able to manage their time differently, giving them more options in balancing online work with face-to-face appointments.

The 10 year NHS Health Plan describes this as a transition from analogue to digital care, underpinned by NHS values and powered by technology. It positions NHS Online as central to how the service adapts in the years to come.

 

What Is The Government Doing To Regulate AI In Healthcare?

 

Last week the government announced a new National Commission on the Regulation of AI in Healthcare. The body has been set up to advise the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and will help rewrite the regulatory rulebook for AI in the NHS, due in 2026.

The Commission brings together leaders from Google, Microsoft, UK universities, the Health Foundation and clinicians from across the country. It will be chaired by Professor Alastair Denniston of the University of Birmingham, alongside Professor Henrietta Hughes, the Patient Safety Commissioner.

One of its first tasks is to review AI tools held back by regulatory uncertainty. These include AI assistants that take clinical notes during appointments, freeing GPs to concentrate fully on patients. Trials of ambient voice technology in hospitals have already shown that it can shorten waiting times in A&E by cutting the amount of admin doctors handle.

The Commission will also examine AI uses in radiology, pathology and remote monitoring. These technologies support the same style of virtual care planned for NHS Online, where patients can be assessed or tracked safely at home.

 

Why Is AI Important For The Digital Hospital?

 

AI is already embedded in NHS care. The government reports that 100% of stroke units in England use AI to interpret brain scans, helping doctors decide treatments quickly. Half of hospital trusts now use AI to diagnose conditions such as lung cancer, funded through the AI Diagnostic Fund. Research has shown hospitals with AI-supported diagnostics have seen diagnostic errors fall by 42%.

For NHS Online, this technology could support triage, test booking and monitoring of long-term conditions, all without adding extra strain on overstretched staff. The government says AI regulation must keep pace with innovation to ensure patients can benefit first in the UK while protecting safety.

Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said the Commission would bring experts together so that patients can benefit quickly and safely. Health Innovation Minister Zubir Ahmed added that the work is about building an NHS that can diagnose earlier and give staff the tools they need to deliver care.

The MHRA chief executive Lawrence Tallon said the agency will act on the Commission’s recommendations to back digital transformation in the NHS. For patients, this means AI will sit behind the digital hospital, supporting both everyday appointments and the wider drive to shorten waiting lists.

 

 

What Do The Execs Have To Say?

 

Sir Jim Mackey, NHS chief executive, said: “This is a huge step forward for the NHS and will deliver millions more appointments by the end of the decade, offering a real alternative for patients and more control over their own care.

“Patients who choose to receive their treatment through the online hospital will benefit from us industrialising the latest technology and innovations, while the increased capacity will help to cut demand and slash waiting times.

“The NHS can, must and will move forward to match other sectors in offering digital services that make services as personalised, convenient, and flexible as possible for both staff and patients.”

Jacob Lant, CEO of National Voices, said: “The NHS aims to provide free and universal healthcare, but at the moment there are plenty of people who don’t have easy access to specialist hospital care simply because of where they live in the country.

“The creation of an online hospital has the potential to fix this basic barrier, and by building on the wealth of patient feedback about the roll out of existing digital NHS services, there is a chance to build something genuinely transformational.

“The new service will need to dock in seamlessly with physical services for when people need tests and treatment, and it can do this by making sure patients are fully included in both the design and ongoing evaluation.

“The NHS will need to be live to the risk of digital exclusion, ensuring that people without access to technology or the right skills are supported to get the help they need. But get this right, and it could unlock vital extra capacity that benefits all patients.”

Rachel Power, Chief Executive of The Patient’s Association, said: “NHS Online is a promising step towards enhancing accessible care and shorter waits for digitally confident patients. This model has real potential to cut waiting times and connect patients with expert care more quickly.

“We’re pleased to see patient partnership built into the programme and it will be vital that patients shape the design and delivery of this online hospital. While this initiative will take time to implement properly, it represents an important investment in the NHS’s future capacity alongside high-quality, in-person care.”

Louise Ansari, Chief Executive of Healthwatch England, said: ‘We welcome this model which offers the prospect of patient referrals being triaged more quickly and some patients getting scans and diagnostic tests sooner.

‘It is also welcome that government has committed to working with Healthwatch and patient groups on its delivery.

‘It will be key, for example, that all patients have an equal opportunity to benefit, not just those who are tech-savvy. The public will need clear communication about how to benefit and access from this scheme – including support, if required, to sign up to and use the NHS App. And digitally excluded people will need reassurances that their local physical hospital remains a good option for their care.’

Dr Jeanette Dickson, Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges said: “This is a novel and potentially game changing way of improving equity and speed of access to NHS services, which would reduce health inequalities.

“Obviously, we need to make sure that those who aren’t digitally enabled are not penalised in any way, but if this approach can be delivered safely and effectively, freeing up capacity in bricks and mortar hospitals at the same time then it could potentially be a really good thing.’

Rosie Beacon, Re:State Head of Health, said: “Re:State welcomes the announcement to open an entirely virtual hospital, NHS Online. This is exactly the sort of game-changing reform the NHS needs.

“Virtual hospitals will mean shorter waits, quicker treatment and smarter spending and will help slash the elective backlog. NHS Online serves to reinforce the NHS’s long held legacy as a world leader in care innovation.”