NHS Grampian has highlighted 12 digital priority programmes for delivery or “substantial progression” in 2026/27, covering theatre scheduling, the MyCare digital front door, the national child health record system, Microsoft 365, PACS, a radiology information system, laboratory information management system, GP IT, and Windows 10 replacement.
The MyCare.scot digital front door is being developed to offer people secure access to their health information in one place, with hopes of reducing admin, supporting the move away from paper-based processes, tackling health inequalities, and promoting data sharing and integration across services for more joined-up care pathways. The child health record system is also a focus area, replacing “ageing” local systems with a nationally supported platform to drive consistent delivery of child health services across Scotland, with the board sharing expected outcomes across improved clinical safety and assurance, better end-to-end management of child health programmes such as immunisations, and enhanced national oversight, reporting, and assurance.
The board anticipates the roll-out of Microsoft 365 functionality will improve productivity and collaboration, supporting flexible and MDT working, strengthening information governance and security, offering a platform for workflow automation and improved data modelling, and releasing clinical capacity from routine tasks. Windows 10 replacement will mitigate cyber risk, it continues, improving performance and reliability, and ensuring infrastructure that can support current and future clinical systems.
The PACS Sectra platform will enable diagnostic images and videos to be stored and shared both locally and nationally, according to NHS Grampian, underpinning early detection and monitoring of long-term conditions, supporting elective diagnostics and cancer pathways, and enabling rapid image access for emergency, stroke, trauma, and acute surgery. The Soliton RIS system is further planned to support PACS integration and help manage referrals, scheduling, patient flow, and reporting.
INFIX theatre scheduling is being prioritised to offer real-time visibility of waiting lists and theatre activity, supporting more accurate scheduling using national median procedure times, and helping to minimise downtime. Anticipated benefits of this programme include a reduction in manual admin, a single digital scheduling view, integration with clinical systems to reduce re-keying, and improved theatre efficiency, the board states.
Other digital priority programmes include LIMS, GP IT and Docman 10, digital install and commissioning for major infrastructure, estates refurbishment and reorganisation, and digital infrastructure maintenance and updates to include core network replacements, networks and server upgrades.
Wider trend: Health tech in Scotland
The Scottish government has shared how the objectives set out in its Women’s Health Plan for Scotland are to be achieved across two phases. The first phase sets out priority areas to: ensure women have access to specialist menopause services for advice and support on the diagnosis and management of menopause; access to information for girls and women on menstrual health and management options; access for women to appropriate support, speedy diagnosis and best treatment for endometriosis; access to abortion and contraception services; rapid and easily accessible postnatal contraception; and to reduce inequalities in health outcomes for women’s general health, including work on cardiac disease.
The Scottish Government is to establish a new body to drive transformation in health and care in Scotland, replacing NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and NHS National Services Scotland (NSS), and taking the lead on workforce, infrastructure, innovation, and digital transformation. A particular focus of the newly-formed organisation, to be named Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSD Scotland), will be on digital transformation, according to the government. It will also take responsibility for accelerating national programmes, continuing delivery of existing NES and NSS services, and delivering efficient, safer, and more consistent care.
A national cancer prehabilitation programme being rolled out by the Scottish government in collaboration with Macmillan Cancer Support and the Centre for Sustainable Delivery, is to use digital resources as part of support offered to patients before and during their cancer treatment. The new cancer prehabilitation screening pathway is “designed to fit around people’s lives”, the Centre for Sustainable Delivery states, delivering support at home or in the community, as well as digitally with online resources and remote support. This approach is designed to minimise unnecessary hospital visits and allow people to benefit from support provided in “familiar and convenient” settings, it adds.
