NHS England has published a preliminary market engagement notice seeking to explore the feasibility of establishing end-t0-end diagnostic testing pathways for the NHS Online virtual hospital service.
The notice outlines NHS England’s intent to use information gathered from the engagement to inform the future commercial and sourcing strategy for diagnostic access, looking at the provider capabilities, digital maturity, and interoperability required to support digital test ordering, appointment booking, and digital notification of results.
“Responses will be used solely to improve NHS Online’s understanding of the current market and potential delivery models that could support digitally enabled diagnostic access at scale,” NHSE states.
A guide value assigned to the future contract is given as £160,000, with plans for the contract to run from approximately December 2026 to December 2030. The deadline for engagement is 22 May 2026, with the contract notice to be published on or around 31 August 2026.
Ahead of the planned 2027 launch of NHS Online, NHS England has shared that the service will prioritise nine common health conditions, including menopause and prostate problems, aiming to support faster access to specialised care.
The online service will enable triage through the NHS App, to connect patients to specialists anywhere in the country for video consultations, and will allow monitoring at home to prevent unnecessary hospital visits. According to NHSE, it is expected to deliver the equivalent of up to 8.5 million virtual appointments and assessments in its first three years – “four times more than an average NHS trust”.
Wider trend: Virtual care
South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust has set out its target operating model for virtual care, looking to build on existing success and introduce a unified digital approach to support “more predictable” waits, improved risk identification, and smoother patient flow. According to the trust, the new model will offer more consistency in clinical assessment for patients, expanded alternatives to ED conveyance, improved partnership working through more accurate referrals and shared records, and standardisation across tools, digital integration, and clinical escalation or advice points to support staff.
Ireland’s Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, has shared the impact of virtual care initiatives, highlighting “significant progress” around patient outcomes and relieving pressure on hospital capacity. Two pilot acute virtual wards at St. Vincent’s University Hospital and University Hospital Limerick have accrued 1,500 admissions, reportedly equating to 13,800 virtual bed days. A further four virtual wards have now been launched at Our Lady of Lourdes Drogheda, Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore, Mercy Hospital Cork, and St Luke’s Hospital Kilkenny; with plans for a fifth at Galway University Hospital.
Bristol NHS Group, a partnership between North Bristol and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston, has published a Group Clinical Strategy update, focusing on delivering joined-up clinical services, reframing how services are delivered, and reimagining the future of care. The first priority for single leadership teams within group clinical services is setting out a clear picture of what challenges they face across digital, workforce, finance, and estates, the group notes, and enabling strategies such as for digital services, are in development to offer the foundation for long-term progress. Plans include shifting care toward prevention and early intervention, making services more accessible, and expanding remote and digitally-enabled care. Routine face-to-face outpatient appointments will be reduced, and follow-up appointments will be delivered remotely.
