Health and social care - data strategy: 2025 update - progress and priorities

Data Access

We want to empower individuals and professionals to make better informed decisions by providing access to the right data at the right time.

Progress so far:

• Personalised Digital Service – The Scottish Government and COSLA have committed to launching a personalised digital health and social care service over the next five years. This commitment combines the work of the Digital Health and Care Record (previously referred to as the Integrated Social Care and Health Record), Digital Front Door and National Digital Platform to provide individuals with access to their health and social care data (where it is appropriate to do so) and options to interact with services online. In January 2025, the First Minister announced delivery of a health and social care online app (Digital Front Door) by December 2025. Work continues to prepare for delivery of the health and social care online app through a Civ Tech challenge which is currently underway in NHS Lanarkshire to trial the use of digital letters in advance of launching the first iteration in December 2025. This iteration will allow a small cohort of people in Lanarkshire to access their health and care data. Following the First Minister’s announcement in January the Government’s Operational Improvement Plan was published in March 2025, which sets out the priorities and milestones of the digital programmes set out in the First Minister’s statement. Digital Front Door will begin to address some of the delivery requirements of the Digital Health and Care Record by providing identity and access services for individuals that will allow them initial access to a small subset of their health and care information. Testing of the Digital Health and Care Record with a small audience did not progress as planned during 2024 and instead is being considered as part of the wider programme, initially being progressed through Digital Front Door.
• CHI in Local Government – COSLA, and Local Government Digital Office have developed a business case for the use of CHI in Local Government which will provide the foundations to support future integration of data. Implementation of CHI in Local Government will reduce duplication in the system including preventing people from having to re-tell their stories and it will support those delivering services to have access to the right data at the right time. It will enable individual records to be linked and shared, strengthening integration of health and social care and ultimately improving outcomes for people.
• Primary Care Data – Work continues to move towards a single supplier for General Practice (GP) IT. As of 31 March 2025, 312 GPs have made the transition to the new supplier across seven Health Boards. However, there is currently a pause on future migration as a result of the supplier entering into administration in December 2024 and work is underway to fully understand the impact on delivery and sustainability of existing GP systems, the GPIT programme and the supplier. The technical solution for the Primary Care Data and Intelligence Platform has been developed which will support extraction of primary care data from GP systems. In addition, governance has been established in the form of a GP Editorial Board which will focus on developing an appropriate Information Governance model to facilitate easier access to GP data.
• Data Catalogue – To open up access to data, PHS and NSS are undertaking discovery work to explore technology options to support development of data catalogues for health and social care that will set out the data that is available on an open basis. A plan to progress this work is in development and further work with relevant stakeholders will be undertaken. Additionally, Improvement Service on behalf of Local Government has developed a catalogue for data returns that are provided by Local Government to Statutory Bodies. This catalogue contains data about the datasets contained within each data return. These data catalogues will increase awareness of existing data and reduce duplication of effort and enable better data linkage across health and social care.
• Improving Provision of Information – Care Information Scotland has been updated with the most common information that people search for. This website will act as a central source to make it easier for the public to find information of relevance and signpost them to where they can find local information. This is key to supporting people to take a proactive approach to managing their care needs and directing them to the right service at the right time. Additionally, a full review of NHS Inform was undertaken. Results of the review will be used to inform the requirements for NHS Inform within the Health and Care estate ensuring alignment with the aims of the Digital Health and Care Strategy.

Priorities for 2025:

• Personalised Digital Service – The Scottish Government and COSLA has committed to developing a health and social care online app as part of health and social care reform and renewal ambitions. Following the initial rollout, the service will continually be developed and expanded over the next five years with more capabilities becoming available across Scotland. This will be a key workstream that supports the principles of the Service Renewal Framework, allowing people to access health and social care information and services digitally and, ultimately, improving interaction and experiences of health and social care services. Furthermore, enabling people to access and share their health and social care information with those involved in their care, and providing staff with access to key information regardless of organisational boundaries through a digital health and care record, supports the seamless provision of care that is core to the ambitions of Renewal.
• Primary Care Data – Work will be undertaken with Health Boards to raise awareness of the benefits of the Primary Care Data and Intelligence Platform and encourage boards to connect to the system. This will improve the availability of primary care data that can be shared across the system and that can be accessed for research purposes. This is key to supporting the reform agenda, by ensuring that data is available to support service planning and can be utilised for research and innovation.
• Improving Signposting to Information – As we develop work to deliver a health and social care online app (Digital Front Door), we will consider how this service can be utilised to clearly articulate to the public how their health and social care data is used to continue to build trust and transparency. We will also commence a redesign of NHS Inform to ensure that we improve the experience of those accessing the website. This will also scope where to include social care information in a redesigned service.