NHS Online: how it will work and when it is due to launch

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Emma Wilkinson

As the government announces that retail boss John Browett will be chair of NHS Online – a virtual hospital set to launch in 2027, Doctors.net.uk looks at what is known about the plans so far.

What is NHS Online?

The NHS online hospital was first announced in September 2025 as a way to speed up patient access to specialist advice and cut waiting lists.

NHS Online will allow patients to be triaged through the NHS App as well as book scans and tests at Community Diagnostic Centres.

The ambitious plan is for it to deliver the equivalent of up to 8.5 million appointments and assessments in its first three years.

In theory it will give patients more choice as after seeing their GP, they will have the option of being referred to the online hospital rather than face-to-face appointment with a local service.

This week, as the NHS modernisation bill starts to make its way through Parliament, the government announced that NHS Online had now been formally established.