Improve access to care and patient flow through the HBS Platform, our consultant-led digital outpatient service. Developed by NHS consultants, it helps patients receive the right care, first time, delivering a 45% reduction in face-to-face appointments, freeing up valuable clinic capacity and supporting more efficient outpatient pathways.
We’re making it quicker and easier for patients to access consultants through our user-friendly online platform. By completing a clinically validated digital questionnaire from home, patients can be assessed by a consultant remotely. This can avoid an unnecessary hospital visit, reducing travel costs and disruption for the patient. Consultants can then determine the appropriate clinical outcome, identify which patients have with urgent or complex clinical needs, and refer them for investigations or treatment.
For consultants, our platform provides up‑to‑date patient information, reducing duplication and administrative delay, supporting safe and informed decision-making. For patients, it delivers a faster, clearer route to receiving the care they need.
Driving productivity, quality and capacity across outpatient pathways
Reduce unnecessary face-to-face appointments, freeing capacity for patients who need it most
Efficient case reviews and automated letters free up valuable consultant time
Supports efficient use of clinic capacity and workforce time
Fast access to specialist assessment and personalised care plans for patients
The HBS Platform works alongside existing pathways to help NHS organisations manage demand effectively. By supporting consultant assessment before hospital attendance, we help the NHS improve patient flow, increase capacity and make better use of workforce, clinic and estate resources.
Our mobilisation teams manage implementation, pathway configuration and onboarding, enabling services to be introduced quickly and with minimal operational disruption.
Designed to work alongside existing NHS infrastructure, the HBS Platform supports efficient information sharing while reducing the cost, complexity and delay associated with large-scale integration projects.
Whether supporting a single specialty or multiple pathways across an organisation, the service can be implemented quickly and scaled to meet local needs.
Discover more about our platform, how it works, and the key features and capabilities designed to support your organisation.
The HBS Platform is not a digital triage tool. There are no algorithms or AI making decisions, every clinical review and outcome is delivered by GMC-registered consultants. We don’t just sort waiting lists; we make definitive clinical decisions and actively manage risk, fully aligned to your Trust’s pathways.
Crucially, our platform also delivers the operational capacity to act on those decisions. Our teams handle mobilisation, booking, and patient communication, so your staff aren’t left managing another system.
The result is a fully managed, consultant-led service that reduces patient backlogs, not just triages them.
The HBS platform is not an AI tool; there are no automated clinical decisions. Every review, validation, and decision is made by GMC-registered consultants, ensuring clear accountability and robust clinical governance.
Our mobilisation teams manage implementation and integration with Trust pathways, while our dedicated patient contact centre handles communication and scheduling six days a week, reducing pressure on internal Trust teams.
The result is a fully managed, consultant-led service that accelerates elective recovery while maintaining clinical safety.
Mobilisation typically takes 4–6 weeks, depending on pathway complexity and integration requirements. Our teams manage the process end-to-end, including Information Governance, clinical safety, and system integration, minimising demand on your internal teams.
We align pathways, confirm consultant capacity, and integrate patient communication during this period, so once live, clinical validation and patient contact begin immediately without disruption.
No. The platform is a browser-based solution that can be accessed from anywhere, so there’s no need to install new software or go through a costly implementation process.
It is fully interoperable with NHS systems, including GP Connect, enabling clinicians to view primary care records directly.
We operate as a digital service, our platform is not a SaaS product, and the platform is compliant with CQC, DTAC, ISO, DSPT, and other national standards.
Yes,. Local Trust consultants can work on the platform, subject to HBSUK’s robust clinical governance and vetting process, including confirmation of a substantive NHS consultant post.
Where additional capacity is required, we provide a hybrid or fully outsourced model using our network of GMC-registered consultants. Our mobilisation teams and patient contact centre manage delivery end-to-end, removing administrative and scheduling burden from your staff.
Clinical governance is led by HBSUK’s Medical Advisory Board, comprising nationally recognised consultants who provide oversight, assurance, and strategic direction. Service delivery is continuously monitored, with outcomes, incidents, and complaints reviewed to support ongoing improvement.
Safety and resilience are underpinned by robust governance and workforce planning, including a large pool of vetted clinicians, proactive rota management, and consistent over-resourcing to ensure continuity. HBSUK operates within CQC registration, ISO standards, and established incident management frameworks, providing commissioners with confidence in a safe, compliant, high-quality service delivered reliably at scale.
Yes. Virtual Lucy™ has been rebranded as the HBS Platform to align with our wider HBSUK services and identity. The underlying technology remains unchanged.
There is no impact to existing pathways, information governance agreements, or clinical workflows. The service continues to be delivered by GMC-registered consultants, supported by our mobilisation teams and patient contact centre, ensuring the same trusted, fully managed clinical service.
We offer a flexible commercial model tailored to each Trust. Services delivered through the HBS Platform are priced below the equivalent NHS tariff, enabling Trusts to reduce pathway costs while increasing capacity and improving patient access.
Additional support, including interoperability, pathway configuration and administrative resource, can be included where required. Our model incorporates a risk-sharing approach, with financial protections in place to ensure Trusts achieve the anticipated value and remain cost-neutral or better. To date, no financial adjustments have been required.
View some of our recent case studies of NHS partners using the HBS Platform.
Whether you’re an NHS Trust looking to reduce waiting lists, a patient seeking specialist care, or a healthcare professional looking for your next opportunity — we’d love to hear from you.
