\n<\/p>\n
A new \u201conline hospital\u201d will deliver millions of appointments and help cut waiting lists, Keir Starmer is to announce in his leader\u2019s speech at Labour\u2019s conference.<\/p>\n
The prime minister will set out plans for NHS Online, which will connect patients to specialist clinicians. The scheme, which will begin operating in 2027, will deliver up to 8.5m extra NHS appointments in its first three years, the government claimed.<\/p>\n
In his speech in Liverpool on Tuesday afternoon, Starmer will say \u201ca new world is coming\u201d and that \u201cin decades to come, I want people to look back on this moment as the moment we renewed the NHS for a new world\u201d.<\/p>\n
The online hospital will be accessible through the NHS app and will allow patients to choose between the digital service and their local hospital.<\/p>\n
Those who use the service will be able to access and track prescriptions, be referred for scans and tests and receive clinical advice on managing their condition.<\/p>\n
Patients who require a physical test or a procedure will be able to book them on the app at a nearby hospital, surgical hub or community diagnostic centre.<\/p>\n
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said some NHS organisations trialling online hospital programmes were triaging patients within two days.<\/p>\n
Describing how the programme may work, he told LBC: \u201cWhen you\u2019re trying to book online to see a GP, booking your GP appointment via the app, it will identify you might be eligible for the NHS online hospital and you\u2019ll be directed there. Where this is working, people are getting triaged within 48 hours, and that is much quicker.\u201d<\/p>\n
Streeting said the programme would not be rolled out until 2027 because \u201cwe\u2019ve got to make sure it\u2019s tested. We\u2019ve got to make sure it\u2019s safe\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cSome of us, like myself, much prefer to see someone over the screen or over the phone rather than take time off work if I can possibly avoid it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The scheme builds on ideas already being used in some NHS trusts to reduce waiting times and allow patients to get treatment or advice quicker.<\/p>\n
In his speech, Starmer will describe it as \u201ca new chapter in the story of our NHS, harnessing the future, patients in control\u201d. He will say: \u201cWaiting times cut for every single person in this country. That\u2019s national renewal, that\u2019s a Britain built for all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Streeting ruled out adding VAT to private healthcare after reports that the government was considering doing this in the budget.<\/p>\n
Asked on Times Radio whether it was a good idea, he replied: \u201cNo, and the government won\u2019t be doing it.\u201d
He added: \u201cI don\u2019t know what the genesis of the story was but that\u2019s not something the government is looking to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starmer will stress the need for continued NHS modernisation, insisting it is Labour\u2019s responsibility to make the health service fit for the years to come.<\/p>\n
He will say: \u201cI know how hard people work in the NHS \u2013 I see it my family \u2013 and I celebrate it at every opportunity. But the responsibility of this party is not just to celebrate the NHS, it\u2019s to make it better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel Elkeles, the chief executive of NHS Providers, said: \u201cThis is a bold, exciting initiative, but the benefits should not come at the cost of destabilising vital services patients will continue to rely on.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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