The NHS will now treat nine common conditions through the NHS Online service, providing faster access to specialist care. These conditions are:
- Glaucoma.
- Conditions affecting the retina at the back of the eye (including age-related macular degeneration).
- Cataracts.
- Inflammatory bowel disease.
- Iron deficiency anaemia.
- Prostate enlargement.
- Raised prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels (not cancer diagnoses).
- Menopause.
- Menstrual problems which may be a sign of endometriosis.
The new NHS Online hospital allows the service to triage patients quickly through the NHS App, connect them to doctors via video consultation, and monitor them in the comfort of their home, saving unnecessary trips to hospital.
The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the Rt Hon Wes Streeting MP, said: “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.”
“The new online hospital will fit healthcare around people’s lives, rather than them fitting their lives around their healthcare – supporting the Government’s shift from analogue to digital as set out in the 10 Year Health Plan.”
