Responding to the Government's announcement of a new "online NHS hospital", Dr Tom Dolphin,  chair of BMA council said:

"Doctors are keen to work with Government to find innovative ways to cut waiting lists and the intelligent use of online services is going to be central to that. We welcome all attempts to get us closer to patients, quicker.

"With that said, we have some questions. We are told that there will be dedicated doctors assigned to this service.  We're keen to find out where this extra staffing is going to be sourced from. Doctors are already flat out across the NHS and there is little spare capacity to go around.

"Secondly, how are patients going to be directed to care? The great thing about GPs is how they guide patients on their journey to the right service, managing the risks as they go. This online service will need to have something similar so patients are informed of the kind of specialist opinion they need.

"We're also concerned about the people who risk being excluded from this digital service. Doctors know very well that many patients struggle to access digital services, including some older people and people with disabilities, those without access to smartphones or with poor internet, and patients for whom English is a second language. We want to be assured that no one will be left behind in this new online hospital.

"Patients deserve better than the NHS they currently have. We will continue to work with Government so that these basic points don't get missed as our health service is upgraded."

Notes to editors