The NHS online hospital will include menopause and prostate problems among its priorities when it launches next year.
Nine common conditions have been selected as the first to be treated by the new service NHS Online (see box) with the aim of providing faster access to specialist care as part of wider efforts to modernise the health service.
Announced by the Prime Minister in September 2025, the NHS Online hospital is intended to transform how healthcare is delivered by allowing patients to be triaged quickly through the NHS App, speak to doctors via video consultation, and be monitored in the comfort of their home, reducing unnecessary trips to hospital.
The list of conditions available for online referrals will include women’s health issues such as severe menopause symptoms and menstrual problems that may be a sign of endometriosis or fibroids.
Prostate problems such as prostate enlargement and a raised prostate specific antigen (PSA) level will also be covered by the service, alongside eye conditions including cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration.
Other conditions covered will include iron deficiency anaemia and inflammatory bowel disease.
NHS Online will see its first patients in 2027 and is expected to deliver the equivalent of up to 8.5 million virtual appointments and assessments in its first three years – around four times more than an average NHS trust.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘We’ve already made big changes in the NHS, but building a health service that’s fit for the future requires more than just evolution – it demands revolution.
‘NHS Online will make accessing healthcare as simple as ordering a cab or a takeaway – fundamentally changing how people interact with the NHS for generations to come.
‘People with the nine conditions we’re announcing today face some of the longest waits, ensuring they’re seen on time again as we shift the NHS from analogue to digital.’
Professor Stella Vig, national clinical director for elective care at NHS England, said the online hospital would ‘see a huge shift in the way we deliver care’.
She said that ‘providing faster, more convenient access to diagnosis and treatments will have a real and positive impact on people’s lives.’
Chris McCann, deputy chief executive of Healthwatch England, welcomed the clarity about which areas of care would be covered by NHS Online.
‘The combined waiting list across the areas of care covered under the new virtual referral services currently includes more than 1.9 million people,’ he said.
‘Our own research shows that on one of the biggest service waiting lists, ophthalmology, nearly a quarter of people have been waiting over a year for specialist help. The prospect of NHS Online reducing waiting lists will therefore come as welcome news to those facing long delays in their care,’ said Mr McCann.
However, he warned that, as the service would be accessed via the NHS app, it was essential to offer support to those who need help using it.
‘Those who do not use digital services must not be left behind, with improvements needed to access timely care through physical hospitals,’ he said.
Conditions prioritised for NHS online hospital
- Glaucoma
- Medical retina, including age-related macular degeneration
- Cataracts
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Iron deficiency anaemia
- Prostate enlargement
- Raised prostate specific antigen (PSA) level
- Menopause
- Menstrual problems, which may be a sign of endometriosis
Source: NHS England
