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

Technology and Infrastructure

We want to make sure that we have the technology and infrastructure in place to equip us to better collect, store and use data. This includes: structured data held within databases, unstructured data and information held in paper records, near real-time data from sensors and the Internet of Things.

Progress so far:

• Shared Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) – The Telecare Shared Alarm Receiving Centre was procured in October 2023 which provides the opportunity for better interoperability of social work, social care and NHS systems. We continue to roll out the Shared ARC across Health and Social Care partnerships with nine councils now using the platform and the remaining seven councils due to onboard by Summer 2025. This programme continues to support the implementation of the Telecare Information Framework which provides a standardised dataset to telecare providers across Scotland.
• Technical Blueprint – A technical blueprint which sets out the target architecture across health and social care has been drafted. This has a specific focus on reducing risk and complexity across the digital landscape in health. Engagement with key stakeholders is underway and a working group has been established to identify risks and opportunities in the current landscape and to develop transition plans to move towards the vision of the blueprint.
• Stakeholder Engagement – We have begun exploratory work and are engaging with stakeholders to inform development of a policy framework for the use of AI in health and social care.
• Cloud Strategy – The Data Strategy committed to developing a Cloud Strategy for the adoption of cloud technologies in health and social care. However, the decision was taken to align with existing strategies and develop a decision tree as opposed to developing a new Strategy. The decision tree will support organisations to determine when it is appropriate to use cloud technologies.
• National Digital Platform (NDP) – We have continued to expand the data that is stored within the NDP in 2024. This includes the storing and sharing of Digital Dermatology data and Scan for Safety data. This data is stored Once for Scotland which will enable reuse of the data for future purposes such as research and analytics, clinical audit or for patient access via Digital Front Door. Additionally, NDP continues to hold SCI Diabetes data and Vaccination data and ReSPECT providing a single source of truth for this data. Other services have also continued their expansion:
• NDP Demographics Service provides a consistent modern integration to CHI data and is the recognised interface for new consumers of this data.
• NDP Access Management is being developed to integrate with the ScotAccount product to enable public access to Digital Front Door.
• NDP Care Summary Service has now been progressed to logically present medications and allergies data using FHIR.
• Data Automation – Local Government are exploring opportunities for developing a data platform which could support automation of data collections and secure exchange of information. Governance has been established to ensure there is a controlled entry point for new data requests to prevent data collections being collected multiple times.
• Seer 2 – This platform provides the infrastructure to facilitate national analytics of health and social care data. It hosts the Whole Systems Pressures dashboard which is used by leaders across NHS Scotland to underpin decision making by the provision of consistent and timely evidence. It now also supports the development of new services such as Bring Your Own Code and Model Deployment and Management to unlock greater opportunities across health and social care.

Case Study – Archangel Ambient Assisted Living

Inverclyde Council integrated Internet of Things (IoT) sensors and ambient assisted living technologies within homes to deliver predictive and preventative care for elderly and vulnerable residents. IOT and sensor technologies were successfully deployed in homes resulting in real-time monitoring and alerts for safety, health indicators, and daily living activities, enhancing preventive care capabilities. This has resulted in improved resident safety, autonomy, and quality of life through non-invasive remote monitoring and demonstrated effectiveness in delivering timely, data-driven interventions and predictive care.

Priorities for 2025:

• API Catalogue – Through the NDP we will continue to expand on developing an API catalogue for health and social care in 2025. This will include an API for Dermatology and Medical Devices.
• Framework for Artificial Intelligence – The Scottish Government will publish a policy framework for the use of AI in health and social care that sets the overarching principles to ensure safe and ethical use of AI within the health and social care sector in Scotland.
• Shared ARC – We will continue the national integration of the Telecare Information Framework and publish Telecare standards. In addition, we will develop a Telecare reporting dashboard for all services that use the Shared ARC, allowing for better benchmarking and the tracking of impacts of service improvements. We will also publish a Benefits Framework which supports the measuring of impacts of Telecare across the wider environment, such as on delayed discharge. This is key to developing preventative approaches in social care as making better use of data will enable providers to identify patterns and provide targeted support and early intervention for people.
• NDP – The mission of the NDP remains to develop reusable componentry services for health and social care in Scotland. Through the lens of the Digital Front Door programme, key priorities include:
• Integration with ScotAccount and CHI to create a public identity and access management offering that will allow individuals to see their own health record and interact with CHI linked data.
• Development of a service that brokers and passes appointments data between NHS Scotland Patient Administration Systems and Digital Front Door using the UK FHIR Core Appointments Profile.
• Development of an appointments and letters store to enable the public an improved communications experience via Digital Front Door.
• Scale up of the Medical Devices Data Hub to meet the data storage needs of the Scan for Safety programme and enable a single medical device record for the Scottish public.
• Incremental and iterative improvement of the vaccinations storage solution, with a particular focus on mitigating any clinical risks and ensuring data is accessible via Digital Front Door.
• Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) – The PACS system is used to store radiology reports digitally. The PACS programme continues to prepare for the national rollout of the new PACS system starting in 2025. Engagement is underway to explore the use of new AI tools with the new PACS system which will enable faster diagnosis and improved outcomes.

NDP Case Study

Digital Dermatology is an initiative by the Accelerated National Innovation Adoption (ANIA) programme that aims to increase the percentage of dermatology referrals that have high quality photos attached, to facilitate more effective triaging. This should lead to improved patient outcomes and reduced administrative burden.

The National Digital Platform (NDP) supports Digital Dermatology in the following ways:

• The NDP Authentication Service allows staff to securely log in with the appropriate permissions to undertake necessary tasks. For example, it allows staff to search for patients using the CHI number and upload images of their patient’s skin condition.
• The NDP Demographics Service facilitates staff to search for accurate patient demographic information using the CHI number.
• The NDP Data Storage Service allows unstructured data such as images and associated structured data such as notes to be stored and accessed digitally by staff, making the referrals process quicker for patients.

The Digital Dermatology solution went live at the end of 2024 and continues to be rolled out to health boards in 2025. As of March 2025, the NDP is storing over 32,000 images from more than 3,000 GP consultations.