Health Secretary Wes Streeting told BBC Breakfast he was "really excited" about a new virtual hospital, which has already "been proven to work" in some hospitals - including University Hospital Southampton and Moorfields. The service will be phased in from 2027, with the focus on areas where there are significant numbers of patients who may never need inpatient treatment. For each area there will be some patients who require monitoring and support managing their health condition and therefore more suitable to the online service. NHS England said only those areas where an online service is considered safe will be included in the new offer. The online hospital will be accessible through the NHS app and ministers hope it will deliver up to 8.5 million appointments and assessments in its first three years - four times more than an average NHS trust.
