NHS Scotland domain address and expenditure: FOI release

Information requested

1. When were email addresses relating to the NHS in Scotland given the domain address @nhs.scot ?

2. What was the cost of implementing this change from the previous domain name?

Response

1. The move to the @nhs.scot domain was implemented as part of the NHS Scotland Microsoft Cloud Computing Strategy Programme to deploy Windows 10 and Office 365 across NHS Scotland. This programme is being managed by NHS National Services Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government.

The first significant use of the @nhs.scot domain took place in March 2020 as part of the digital response to Covid-19. In a fast-tracked rollout, Microsoft Teams accounts with @nhs.scot user identities, were provided to all NHS Scotland staff.

The email migration from the NHSmail platform (@nhs.net) to the NHS Scotland Office 365 platform (@nhs.scot) began in June 2020 and completed in December 2020.

Seven Health Boards are in the process of migrating their own ‘on-premise’ email systems to the NHS Scotland Office 365 platform (@nhs.scot):

• NHS Ayrshire & Arran (@aapct.scot.nhs.uk)
• NHS Borders (@borders.scot.nhs.uk)
• NHS Golden Jubilee (@gjnh.scot.nhs.uk)
• NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (@ggc.scot.nhs.uk)
• NHS Lanarkshire (@lanarkshire.scot.nhs.uk)
• NHS Lothian (@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk)
• NHS 24 (@nhs24.scot.nhs.uk)

This migration began in January 2021 and is expected to complete in December 2021.

2. The Microsoft Cloud Computing Strategy Programme is tasked with implementing a potential £80 million investment with Microsoft, over five years, in a new NHS digital system for Scotland as announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport in November 2018. The press release can be viewed here: Investment in new NHS digital system - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Accenture, the company who provided the now decommissioned NHSmail platform, were contracted to locate, and transfer, all of the Scottish NHSmail (@nhs.net) accounts onto the NHS Scotland Office 365 platform (@nhs.scot) at a cost of £2.5 million.

The Scottish Government are not aware of the costs associated with the migration of the ‘on-premise’ email addresses. This would be a matter for each individual board.

About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.