Eyecare included in NHS Online roll-out
Patients will be triaged through the NHS app
The NHS has included eye conditions in the first nine common conditions to be treated by its new NHS Online service in England.
Launched in September 2025, NHS Online aims to deliver the new NHS Online hospital, allowing patients to be triaged through the NHS App, speak to doctors via video consultation, and be monitored at home.
Hailed by the NHS as “a flagship reform programme at the heart of efforts to modernise the health service”, NHS Online will see its first patients in 2027, and is expected to deliver the equivalent of up to 8.5 million virtual appointments and assessments in its first three years.
Patients will continue to be able to access face-to-face appointments, and those who need physical examinations or procedures will continue to receive them either at hospital or local hubs nearby.
Women’s health issues, including severe menopause symptoms and menstrual problems that can be a sign of endometriosis or fibroids, will be among the conditions available for online referrals. Prostate problems like prostate enlargement and a raised prostate specific antigen level will also be covered by the service, along with eye conditions including cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration.
Moorfields Eye Hospital in London has introduced a single point of access system for eye condition referrals, providing an online service linking GPs and optometrists with eye specialists.
Peter Thomas, director of digital development and consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital, said: “With our single point of access service, we’ve been defining how a virtual hospital can support better eyecare. We’ve used technology to improve the capability and efficiency of the system, and which allows clinicians in the community and hospital services to work more closely together to streamline care.
“The impact is clear – patients are being seen more quickly in more appropriate settings, and the pressure on NHS services is being reduced,” added Peter.