John Browett named chair of NHS online hospital trust

John Browett, business leader and former supermarket chief executive, has been named as chair of the NHS’s new online hospital trust.

NHS Online, which will provide virtual specialist care for patients through the NHS App and video consultations, has now been formally established as the Online NHS Trust.

Browett is a former chief executive of Tesco.com and has also held senior leadership roles at Dixons, Apple and Dunelm. He is currently chair of the Institute of Directors and is the former chair of Octopus Group and former non-executive director at EasyJet.

On his new role he said: “I’m delighted to take up the role of chair of the Online NHS Trust, which will deliver NHS Online, as we take this important step towards bringing patients faster and easier access to specialist care.

“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.”

The government says NHS Online will speed up specialist care by giving patients with several common conditions the choice to digitally connect with expert clinicians across England, no matter where they are in the country, aiming to provide faster access to treatment.

It is expected to provide up to 8.5 million virtual appointments and assessments in its first three years of service delivery.

Initial services, which will launch in 2027, will cover conditions including menopause symptoms, prostate problems, recurring urinary tract infections and iron deficiency anaemia.

NHS Online, which was announced by the prime minister Keir Starmer in September 2025, will provide care for conditions which clinicians have agreed can be safely diagnosed and managed virtually.

Patients will have the option of using NHS Online when their GP makes a referral for specialist care, and those choosing the service will receive care from doctors around the country directly through the NHS App – without leaving their homes or having to wait for an in-person appointment.

Tests, scans or procedures will continue to take place at healthcare sites closer to patients’ homes, while clinicians will be able to triage patients and review their notes remotely, potentially outside office hours, without the patient needing to be present.

James Murray, health secretary, said: “John Browett has spent his career building digital services that work for millions of people, so I’m delighted to welcome someone with such valuable experience to the role.

“We’re bringing the NHS into the digital age and in line with the technology people use every day, so John’s know-how from the private sector will be crucial.

“By cutting waiting lists and connecting people to experts from the comfort of their own homes, NHS Online is going to make a real, tangible difference to patients and represents a major step in building a health service fit for the future.”

NHS staff will be given the opportunity to work for NHS Online alongside their usual job, with a survey of consultants finding that six in ten were interested – many more than will be needed to run the service without any impact on other NHS care.

Non-executive directors include Professor Ian Abbs, Mark Balabanovic, Mary Basterfield, Nikita Kanani, Omar Din and Dame Ruth May. Simon Morris has also been appointed as associate non-executive director.