new online hospital to transform how healthcare is delivered
The government has announced the launch of the NHS Online Hospital – a big step forward in fixing the problems you face when you try to get care.
People in Blackpool can wait months and sometimes years for treatment. We all know someone who’s had to fight through pain, anxiety and uncertainty while stuck on a waiting list.
Blackpool has some of the worst health outcomes in the country. Too many of us live shorter lives in poorer health. Our NHS here is stretched to breaking point with demand always outstripping capacity. Our hardworking NHS staff are working flat out and we need a solution that actually work for towns like ours.
The new NHS Online Hospital will let you be referred straight from your GP into a national online system. That means you can see a specialist online within days, not months. You’ll use the NHS App to book, track prescriptions and manage your care. If you need a scan or a test, you’ll be able to get it done at a Community Diagnostic Centre close to home, at a time that works for you.
When the Health Secretary visited Blackpool recently to launch the 10 Year Health Plan, he emphasised that building a smarter NHS means embracing technology to ease pressure on the system, while ensuring no one is left behind.
The Health Secretary meeting NHS workers at the launch of the 10 Year Health Plan in Blackpool
I know that not everyone in Blackpool is comfortable with digital technology and elderly patients or those with low digital literacy will be able to access care in the same way they always have, with the support of their GP and local NHS services. At the same time, as more younger people move their care online – where they feel most at ease – it frees up appointments and resources locally, making it easier for everyone to get seen more quickly.
This is about unblocking the bottlenecks in the NHS by connecting Blackpool patients to clinical teams right across England so we’re not stuck waiting behind an overstretched local queue. That means shorter delays, quicker treatment and less pressure on our GPs and Victoria Hospital who will have more time to focus on patients with more complex needs.
Labour’s plan is expected to deliver the equivalent of 8.5 million appointments and assessments in the first three years – four times what an average NHS trust can do. And crucially, the system will put more frontline funding into working-class communities like ours where the need is greatest.
This won’t solve every problem. But it’s a start. And it’s a clear sign that this Labour government is serious about putting patients first, slashing waiting times and tackling health inequalities head on.
I know how much our town depends on the NHS and I’m determined to fight for a system that gives Blackpool the same standard of care as anywhere else in the country.
