NHS to launch fully digital ‘online hospital’ by 2027

The NHS has announced plans to open its first “online hospital” – a virtual care model designed to expand patient choice, reduce waiting times, and industrialise proven digital innovations already in use across the health service.

Set to go live in 2027, NHS Online will not operate from a physical site. Instead, it will connect patients with clinical specialists nationwide through the NHS App, supported by remote monitoring, AI-enabled triage, and digital booking tools.

Patient-centred by design

Patients referred to the service by their GP will be able to book specialist appointments directly through the app, choosing times and locations for diagnostics at nearby Community Diagnostic Centres. Prescriptions, test results and care plans will also be accessible in real time.

The model is expected to deliver the equivalent of 8.5 million additional appointments and assessments in its first three years - four times the capacity of a typical hospital trust.

“Virtual hospitals will mean shorter waits, quicker treatment and smarter spending,” said Rosie Beacon, Head of Health at Re:State. “NHS Online serves to reinforce the NHS’s long-held legacy as a world leader in care innovation.”

Building on proven models

The programme will scale up digital pathways already proven in local pilots:

• Southampton’s virtual IBD clinic enabled patients with low-risk flare-ups to manage symptoms remotely. Digital monitoring and patient-led follow-ups reduced consultant-led appointments by 73% and cut waiting times by 58%.
  
  
• Moorfields Eye Hospital’s triage hub created a single digital point of access for referrals across multiple providers. By centralising digital review, urgent referral processing time fell from 11 hours to just two, with more than half of urgent cases safely downgraded.
  
  
• Barking, Havering and Redbridge Trust introduced virtual triage for 99% of referrals within 48 hours. Four out of five patients were seen virtually, and over 80% discharged without a face-to-face appointment.

NHS Online will integrate technologies already gaining traction across the system. Ambient voice AI, currently being trialled, will cut down clinical note-taking. Remote monitoring tools will allow patients with long-term conditions to be supported at home. And digital diagnostic booking will give patients more control over when and where they access tests.

The service will initially focus on treatment areas with the longest waits, expanding only when it is clinically safe to do so. NHS England has committed to co-designing the service with patients and clinicians to ensure it meets both clinical safety standards and accessibility needs.

While NHS Online promises greater efficiency, leaders stress the importance of ensuring the model does not exacerbate health inequalities. Rachel Power, Chief Executive of The Patient’s Association, welcomed the initiative but warned: “It will be vital that patients shape the design and delivery of this online hospital. Digitally confident patients will benefit most, but safeguards must be in place for those at risk of exclusion.”