Anyone who has ever been involved in any of the big NHS IT projects will cross their fingers as so many of these projects have failed to deliver and run over budget and time. But worse, people who do not use online services will, once again, miss out.  

For example, 70% of people over 65 have never used the internet let alone are savvy enough to book appointments.  Similarly, nearly a quarter of people in routine / manual occupations have never used the internet, compared with less than 6% of people in professional and managerial occupations.  Yet older people and people on low incomes are precisely those who have the poorest health and make the greatest use of the NHS.  

I am sure this idea will prove very convenient for those in office jobs with freedom to do personal business via the works PC, or with the internet at home.  But for the thousands of people who don’t, it is yet another IT initiative that penalises the poor and reinforces health inequalities.