DHSC Opens Consultation with Local Healthwatch on Creation of ‘NHS Online’

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has opened a consultation with the local Healthwatch network on the creation of a new national NHS trust, called NHS Online. Under current legislation, local Healthwatch must always be consulted whenever a new NHS trust is proposed, giving Healthwatch organisations the chance to provide input and share their views on the proposals.

The consultation includes an invitation for all local Healthwatch to submit individual responses to the proposals, based on the consultation document, by Monday 9 March. As well as this we were invited to attend a DHSC/NHS England webinar to hear directly from officials about the proposals and ask questions.

The webinar was very well attended, and participants raised dozens of useful and important points.

Due to the volume of questions, it was not possible to address them all during the session. The organisers therefore committed to producing a Q&A document responding to as many questions as possible.

Organisations generated valuable discussion on the proposed NHS Online Trust. Key themes included patient access and inclusion, engagement with carers and marginalised groups, workforce flexibility, technology and digital infrastructure, care pathway integration, governance and clinical safety, and the financial and operational model. The NHS Online team is using these questions and points to guide ongoing policy development, design, and delivery, ensuring the new trust provides safe, inclusive, and high-quality care when it begins services in 2027.