A New NHS Digital Service to Improve Specialist Care – What It Means for Our Community
The NHS has announced an exciting new initiative called NHS Online, sometimes referred to as the NHS’s first “online hospital”, due to launch in 2027. This digital service is being designed to help people access specialist health care more quickly and conveniently, and Healthwatch is taking part in early discussions about how it will work.
What is the NHS Online Hospital?
NHS Online is a new NHS service that will use technology to connect people with specialist doctors without needing to visit a hospital in person. It will work through the NHS App and offer:
- Remote consultations with specialist clinicians by video.
- Faster referrals to specialist care when your GP suggests it.
- Monitoring and follow‑up care from home if appropriate.
- Easy access to information and support for certain health conditions.
While traditional face‑to‑face appointments and tests will still be available when needed, this new service aims to make getting specialist support quicker, more personalised and more convenient.
Which Conditions Will Be Included First?
When NHS Online first opens, it will focus on nine common health issues where waiting times have traditionally been long. These include:
- Menopause and menstrual health issues, such as symptoms linked to menopause, endometriosis and fibroids.
- Prostate health concerns, including prostate enlargement and raised prostate‑specific antigen (PSA) levels.
- Eye conditions like cataracts and glaucoma.
- Other long‑wait conditions such as iron deficiency anaemia and inflammatory bowel disease.
This means that people experiencing these conditions will soon be able to choose the online route for specialist help if it suits them.
How This Could Help Local People
For local people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, NHS Online may help reduce waiting times and make specialist support more accessible, especially for those who find it difficult to travel to hospital appointments. By offering consultations and follow‑up care online, the service is expected to:
- Give people quicker access to specialists without long waits.
- Increase choice in how care is delivered.
- Support people who prefer to be seen from home, at times that work for them.
Work on NHS Online builds on existing digital services already used locally and nationally, such as online consultations and digital test results in the NHS App.
Healthwatch and Local Involvement
Under health and care legislation, local Healthwatch organisations are being consulted on the development of this new service. Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is taking part in discussions with NHS England and other national Healthwatch colleagues to share local views and feedback on how NHS Online should work for people in our area. This includes helping to understand:
- What would make digital health services easy to use for everyone.
- What support people might need to use NHS Online confidently.
- How the service can work well alongside face‑to‑face care.
Looking Ahead
As NHS Online moves towards launch in 2027, Healthwatch will continue to listen to people across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and feed this information into national planning. We want to make sure this new way of accessing care works for as many people as possible, including those who might face challenges with digital services.
If you have thoughts or experiences about accessing specialist care or using NHS digital tools, we would love to hear from you. Your feedback helps us make sure local voices shape future services.
