John Browett, former Tesco.com chief executive, has been named as chair for the new NHS Online hospital trust, alongside seven non-executive directors.
Browett spoke of “delight” in taking up the role, noting: “In my previous roles across technology and retail, I’ve seen how much people value services that are intuitive, responsive and built around their needs and look forward to helping shape this new way of delivering NHS care. The new trust board brings a wealth of expertise from across and beyond the health sector and together we will build an organisation focused on making a real difference to patients.”
Named non-executive directors include Ian Abbs, former CEO and current CMO of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust; Marko Balabanovic, former non-executive director at NHS Digital and current CTO of Our Future Health; and Mary Basterfield, experienced CFO and former non-executive director for organisations including Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.
Also named are Nikita Kanani, global medical director at Neko Health, GP in South East London, and former NHSE medical director for primary care; Omar Din, executive partner and CEO of Bourne Health; Ruth May, former CNO for NHSE and the DHSC, and executive director of nursing at NHS Improvement; and Simon Morris, appointed as an associate non-executive director, who is chair of digital mental health platform JAAQ.
NHS England first announced plans for the “online hospital” in September 2025, sharing the ambition for it to go live in 2027 with the aim of delivering up to 8.5 million appointments and assessments in its first three years.
The service, NHS Online, will aim to connect patients virtually to clinicians based anywhere in England, with triage to be completed through the NHS App, and appointments for scans then offered at local community diagnostic centres.
Earlier this year, NHSE published a list of nine common health conditions that NHS Online will prioritise, covering severe menopause symptoms, endometriosis, fibroids, prostate conditions, iron deficiencies and inflammatory bowel disease, along with eye conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.
A preliminary market engagement notice seeking to explore the feasibility of establishing end-t0-end diagnostic testing pathways for the virtual hospital service has also outlined NHSE’s intent to gather feedback 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.
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.
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. 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.
NHS Scotland has issued a prior information notice outlining its intent to explore options for a “multi-channel” remote health monitoring and communication solution, with a contract notice expected in July 2026. Seeking to conduct a “soft market test” to gain a better understanding of current market capabilities, continuity of key services, approaches for migration, and indicative costs; NHS Scotland is asking potential suppliers to complete a market research questionnaire. The solution sought will be capable of supporting care pathways including home or mobile health monitoring, according to the notice, enabling people to update and share health information from a home or community setting to promote improved monitoring, self-management, and proactive care.
