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Following news that hospital waiting times are set to soar due to European laws limiting doctors’ working hours, research by Virgin Media has found that British mums are turning into a nation of ‘house-doctors’ by self-diagnosing family medical problems online, rather than waiting in busy doctors’ surgeries for appointments.

Virgin Media surveyed the habits of modern mums, finding that almost half (46 per cent) of mothers have diagnosed or researched a family health issue online and more than a quarter (27 per cent) use social networking sites - like Facebook and Twitter - as a way to discuss family issues and get reassurance from other mums. In addition, two thirds (66 per cent) of mums regularly turn to blogs and social networking sites as an essential part of their daily routines.

This new phenomenon, known as MOMMs (Mums Online Making Mates), shows a trend suggesting that the ‘mother and toddler’ coffee morning may be a thing of the past, with almost one in five (18 per cent) of mums now discussing parenting issues online and more than one in ten (15 per cent) chat regularly to mums they’ve never even met in person.

What’s more, the internet is even becoming a real lifeline for a few, with one in five mums (20 per cent) admitting that the web helps them feel less lonely and is an escape from real life (18 per cent). With almost a quarter (24 per cent) of 25-34 year old mums revealing their online time eases isolation, it’s no wonder that a staggering 80 per cent of them are logging on to Facebook regularly.

Family psychologist Donna Dawson said: "Many mothers feel that they don’t want to face a long wait in a doctor’s surgery and prefer to use the internet for guidance when self-diagnosing a medical problem. Virgin Media’s research shows that the internet allows women to reach out to other mums, share their experiences and ask for advice and support, creating a virtual world of like-minded people that they can dip in and out of when it’s convenient and from the comfort of their own homes. The internet has seemingly replaced the phone and the post for a lot of busy mums."

Ashley Stockwell, managing director of brand and marketing at Virgin Media, said: "The internet is perfect way for busy mums to keep in touch with friends and family, and offers a variety of parental and health advice. With a massive range of content available through a superfast broadband connection these days, mums can find what they need at the touch of a button."

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