Plans to make millions of hospital appointments virtual under NHS Online have led to concerns that vulnerable patients may have their serious conditions being missed rather than diagnosed and treated as early as possible. Suggestions that some conditions have difficulties being replicated remotely and others may not benefit from online consultations, coupled with potential issues around referring patients for further tests or treatment, have drawn concern from patient groups and healthcare experts. Alongside these criticisms, it is mentioned that patients may feel dehumanised under the NHS's increasingly digital-first approach to GP care.
Patients risk having serious conditions including cancer being missed under plans to make millions of hospital appointments virtual in a bid to tackle the NHS backlog, experts warn.
From October next year, doctors will deliver millions of hospital appointments virtually under plans set out by former health secretary Wes Streeting. Patients referred by their GP will be able to select a virtual appointment with a consultant anywhere in the country through the NHS app. The new 'NHS Online' service will initially focus on specialties including gynaecology, urology, gastroenterology, and ophthalmology, with 8.5 million appointments expected to be delivered by the digital trust in its first three years.
But health leaders and patient groups fear the move could result in vulnerable patients being overlooked, with serious illnesses harder to identify without face-to-face examinations. One patient representative consulted on the plans raised concerns about 'serious conditions slipping through the net'. Another respondent from Healthwatch said: 'It's not a fair choice' with historically long waiting times pushing patients towards the digital route, where 'things can easily be missed if not seen in person.
' The concerns come just weeks after a survey found older patients already feel 'dehumanised' by the NHS's increasingly digital-first approach to GP care. Wes Streeting insisted that 'everyone will benefit' from the online service, even if not using it directly. The NHS Online hospital will never replace in-person care.
'People will always have the option of face-to-face care if they wish or need – and this initiative is designed to give patients the convenient option of receiving specialist care for common conditions from the comfort of their own homes.
NHS Healthcare Service Hospital Appointments Virtual Consultations Safety Of Virtual Consultations Serious Conditions Diagnosis Digital Division In NHS Care Digital Divide And Accessibility In The NHS NHS Online Programme
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