The health service has unveiled research which indicates that six in ten surgeons and other specialists want to work virtual shifts for facility treating the likes of glaucoma and endometriosis

The majority of consultants and other specialist doctors across the health service want to work for the new national online hospital, according to the NHS.

A representative study of 300 secondary-care clinicians found that 60% are “interested in working for NHS Online alongside their current NHS roles”. The majority of these – some 48% of all respondents – said that they would be willing to spend at least four hours a week working for the new virtual hospital, which will focus on conditions including menstrual problems, ocular degeneration, and inflammatory bowel disease.

The NHS said that the “opportunity to care for patients innovatively, work flexibly and improve patient experience [are] among their top reasons for wanting to sign up” for shifts at NHS Online.

The health service added that “findings from the survey of consultants and further engagement with NHS staff will be used to develop plans for the service”.

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Professor Stella Vig, NHS England’s national clinical director for elective and a consultant surgeon, said: “It’s fantastic to see that consultants and specialist doctors are hugely supportive of the NHS’s new online hospital, with nearly two thirds willing to offer their time for this revolutionary service alongside their current roles. NHS Online will transform the way we deliver planned care, offering patients the choice to have an online appointment with a specialist anywhere in England. The service will make a real difference to patients’ lives as they’ll be able to choose to use NHS Online and be seen more quickly and conveniently, with many appointments delivered by video or telephone in their own home. We’ve also expanded the list of conditions which NHS Online will treat, so that even more patients will be able to benefit when the service launches next year.”

First announced by prime minister Keir Starmer six months ago, NHS Online is due to launch next year.

Having been triaged via the NHS App, citizens will then be connected doctors offering video consultations and ongoing remote monitoring of a patient’s health. The digital hospital is planned to offer 8.5 million virtual appointments during its first three years in operation – equating to almost 8,000 a day.

The facility is intended to initially focus on certain key areas, and has announced plans so far to specialise in treatment for nine conditions, including glaucoma, cataracts, and other issues linked to age-related retinal degeneration. Also on its focus list will be menopause and menstrual problems linked to endometriosis, as well as enlargement and other prostate conditions – excepting cancer. The service’s final two confirmed specialisms are inflammatory bowel disease, and iron deficiency anaemia.