The Scottish Government’s annual update on progress toward the NHS Recovery Plan has been published, highlighting the role of digital innovation in empowering patients, supporting preventative care, managing demand, and addressing inequalities; and noting specifically the progress made around developing a digital front door, enabling remote monitoring, and enhancing scheduling. The government also notes a planned update to the data strategy for health and social care is also expected in 2025 and highlights the ongoing work to develop AI policy and guidance for health settings.
The government outlines the need to “recognise that the landscape has changed since the plan was published over three years ago”, and to embrace “newer, better ways of supporting the aspirations of the plan” moving forward. Even before the pandemic, it adds, there were challenges “from demographic change and forecast deterioration in population health” which necessitated “innovation and change” in how health and social care services are delivered.
Collaborative efforts around innovation are highlighted, including national partnerships and procurements “scaling up proven innovation opportunities across Scotland”, and ongoing work toward “a continuous model of measuring digital maturity progress across NHS Health Boards, Health and Social Care Partnerships, and local authorities”.
When it comes to the development of a digital front door for services, and to personalised digital health and care, the update points to the government’s “specific commitment to launching the first iteration of a new personalised digital health and social care service as the first step in a national five-year programme”. It also shares plans for this to offer digital notifications, access to personal health information, and options for interacting with services; alongside plans for online appointment booking, digital communications, and more.
The update also shares progress on remote monitoring and online services, citing the Connect Me app for blood pressure readings and health information, which has supported more than 107,000 people with hypertension; the Near Me video consultation service, which offers 30,000 online consultations each month; and the Near Me Groups, which have offered “additional accessibility” from local community hubs and libraries for 106,000 participants.
Work has begun, according to the document, on an automated NHS theatre scheduling system, “following a successful pilot in NHS Forth Valley and NHS Lothian through the ANIA (Accelerated National Innovation Authority) pathway”. There are hopes that this will help increase productivity, remove paper processes and reduce the administrative burden involved in the creation of theatre lists.
On data and health records, the update highlights ongoing work around creating an integrated social care and health record to enable the “safe, secure and efficient sharing of social care and health data across relevant care settings”, drawing together data from a range of sources to harness opportunities for early intervention and prevention. An update to the data strategy for health and social care is also expected in 2025, setting out steps to achieve the “shared ambitions” around “improved and efficient sharing and use of data in the sector to deliver better services and outcomes”.
Other news and areas of progress shared include the development of digital skills and digital career paths, with four Learner Pathways published in September 2024. The launch of a new system for CHI (Community Health Index) in November 2023, “consolidating eight legacy systems under a single, cloud-based technology and supporting some 430 data flows” to offer real-time data to inform decision making and opportunities for AI and machine learning. Also ongoing work to develop AI policy and guidance for health settings; and the first phase of the £2 million digital inclusion programme which launched in August 2023 and has since supported “more than 1,700 people”.
To read the progress report in full, please click here.
Digital transformation in Scotland
The recent publication of the Scottish Budget for 2025 to 2026 saw a vow to “renew public services” and “create the conditions for every person in Scotland to thrive”. It announced a “record investment” of £21 billion in health and social care which includes an increase in capital spending power of £139 million from 2024-25. Recognising the importance of developing an “effective, efficient and sustainable health and social care system that is fit for Scotland’s future”, the budget for health and social care places a focus on prevention, tackling health inequalities, and promoting healthier lifestyles.
Following the publication of Scotland’s digital strategy in 2021, a progress report in May 2024 summarised progress around commitments such as improving connectivity, building digital skills and changing the culture of public service organisations to ensure resilience, accessibility and ease of use.
Scotland’s Digital and Data Capability Framework was also launched this year, with the aim of supporting digital skills and competencies across the entire health and social care workforce. Six key areas of focus are identified: using technology; innovation and service improvement; identity, safety and wellbeing; communication; handling information and data; and learning and development.
NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) published its strategic framework for 2024-2026, setting out the organisation’s vision, values and priorities – namely to enable transformation by supporting the implementation of new solutions, to continually improve services, and to active seek opportunities for collaboration. The framework specified that a key component of NSS’s work lies in digital and security, highlighting “expertise” around the delivery and management of digital platforms, supporting services and cyber security.
