NHS Online will ease waiting lists, but must be rolled out carefully
Commenting on the government’s announcement of a new NHS online hospital, Clive Makombera, head of NHS at leading audit, tax and consulting firm RSM UK: “Digital innovation was one of the core themes of the 10-year NHS plan, so it’s positive to see the government is delivering on its promises. With the NHS under immense strain and waiting lists at critical levels, the new NHS online hospital service should go some way in easing this pressure.
“It should help the NHS deliver faster assessments, diagnoses and consultations, which will open up much-needed capacity to treat more people face-to-face and assist clinical teams to meet growing patient demand. However, as ever, the devil is the detail.
“Investment in dedicated doctors and clinical teams will be essential, as well as the digital technology required to deliver the online services. There will also be the added challenge of encouraging sceptical patients to put faith in virtual assessments and consultations over face-to-face interventions.
“The NHS will need to identify which patients will be suitable for the new online hospital service, as well as ensuring that only those areas where online services are considered safe are included in the new offer. Managing the increasing cyber threat and risk of data loss will also be key, and the onus will be on the government to assure the public that their data will be stored securely if they are to truly get onboard with this new digital approach.”