Consultation on NHS online
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England are working to establish a new online service – NHS Online - which will deliver online elective care as part of the NHS.
Before creating a new NHS Trust, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care must consult the relevant local Healthwatch organisations. A consultation phase has taken place and there have been 53 written responses.
What “elective care” includes
Elective care refers to planned treatments such as:
- Outpatient appointments
- Diagnostics (e.g. scans, tests)
- Pre- and post-surgery consultations
- Some treatments that don’t require physical procedures
Key themes
Here are the key themes raised in response to the consultation:
- Benefits for the Online NHS Trust are recognised and there is opportunity to address issues related to accessibility of services
- Digital use is widespread with the possibility to increase in scope and usability
- Digital exclusion and accessibility
- Human support and community-based upskilling
- Communication, transparency and patient choice
