Streeting’s NHS home-working revolution ‘puts patients at risk’

Patients risk having serious conditions missed by doctors working from home under an NHS revolution championed by Wes Streeting.

Doctors will deliver millions of virtual hospital appointments at their convenience – and from their own homes – as part of plans to tackle the NHS backlog that Mr Streeting set out when he was health secretary.

However, health leaders and patient groups are concerned about patients falling through the cracks and the risk that serious conditions such as cancer could be missed.

They also fear the creation of a “two-tier” health system in which the digitally capable are “fast-tracked” while others who are older or more vulnerable are forced to wait longer for care.

The new “Online NHS Trust” will be officially formed on 1 June and start seeing patients from October 2027, The Telegraph can disclose.

Patients facing some of the longest waits will be the first to test the new service, with the virtual hospital to be piloted on gynaecology, urology, gastroenterology and ophthalmology.

Patients referred to a consultant will have the option to connect remotely to one of the specialists across the country via the NHS app – with more specialities and conditions added over time.

But concerns gathered by Healthwatch, an official health service body that represents patients, have warned that serious conditions such as cancer could be missed in video calls.

And one patient advocate said it was “described as being optional, but in reality, if there is a long waiting list for an in-person appointment, the patient may ‘choose’ the online appointment instead, eg if the GP says it’s a shorter waiting time to get seen online, it is not a fair choice”.

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Source: The Telegraph, 18 May 2026