Prostate and menopause patients seeing NHS treatment will be able to access an “online hospital” from next year.
The service aims to help patients with severe menopausal symptoms and signs of endometriosis or fibroids, as well as people with potential prostate and eyesight issues.
Following referrals from GPs, users will be able to use the NHS app to access video consultations with doctors across the country.
Sir Keir Starmer announced the move last year, saying a “new world is coming,” and the first conditions managed by the service have just been announced by NHS England.
Prostate enlargement and a raised prostate specific antigen (PSA) level – a possible sign of prostate cancer – will also be covered by the service, alongside eye conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration.
NHS Online means people can speak to doctors without leaving their home or having to wait for an in-person appointment.
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 NHS’s new online hospital will see a huge shift in the way we deliver care, giving patients the option to have an online appointment with a specialist anywhere in England.
“We’ve selected nine common conditions which the NHS Online service will initially provide support for when it launches next year, including some women’s health issues as well as prostate problems.”
It comes as data shows the NHS managed to keep 94.7 per cent of planned routine care going during the five days of strike action by resident doctors between December 17 and 22.
There were on average 19,120 resident doctors absent from work each day, which is slightly higher than the 17,236 average in the last set of strikes in November.
Dr Sue Mann, national clinical director in women’s health at NHS England, said: “Menstrual problems, that can be caused by conditions such as endometriosis or fibroids, or menopause symptoms can affect every part of a woman’s life, so it’s essential that the NHS provides better access to effective treatments more quickly.
“NHS Online will make it easier for women to see a consultant from their own home without having to face a long wait for an in-person appointment, meaning they can get on with their daily lives.”
In a letter to NHS workers, NHS chief executive Sir Jim Mackey praised staff for hitting a target of having less than 80 per cent of hospital beds filled on Christmas day, freeing up beds for other people in need.
There were more than 5,000 fewer patients in hospital this Christmas day compared to Christmas day last year, according to the data.
