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

Information Standards and Interoperability

We will improve the quality of our health and social care data and increase interoperability through adoption and use of common standards, making it easier to re-use and link data.

Progress so far:

• Data Standards Sub-board – Over the past year the Data Standards Sub-board have undertaken exploratory work to develop a suitable assurance process for setting out the preferred standards for use in health and social care. The sub-board are preparing to undertake a pilot to test the proposed governance approach. Local Government have also been progressing work to develop assurance for adoption of standards within Local Government and have created content to explain why data standards are important to help raise awareness and secure stakeholder buy-in for the aims and objectives of the board.
• Care Reform (Scotland) Bill – The Care Reform (Scotland) Bill (formerly known as the National Care Service Bill) will provide the legislative vehicle for Scottish Ministers to set out information standards for use across health and social care. The Bill has passed Stage 3 and will be given Royal Assent in Summer 2025. Work is underway to identify the impact this work will have on the wider health and social care sector.
• SNOMED CT – Work continues to progress in preparation for implementation of SNOMED CT. The Programme team have developed a strategy and roadmap to remove reliance on READ codes. Additionally, a Target Operating Model is being developed for establishing a Virtual Centre of Excellence which will provide support and guidance for those implementing SNOMED CT. Resources have also been developed and are now available to Health Boards and national procurement teams to encourage implementation of SNOMED CT.
• Scan for Safety – Point of Care Scanning is now available in four Health Boards. Work continues to develop national data reporting frameworks and guidance for Medical Devices and Medical Equipment to capture and present agreed data sets at a local and national level. A Medical Device Data Hub has been developed to store and use Scan for Safety data that is captured through Point of Care scanning process. This will be tested within NHS Lothian and Golden Jubilee before being rolled out further. This data will support improvements to patient safety and operational efficiency within the healthcare system.

Priorities for 2025:

• Data Standards Sub-board – We will undertake a pilot to test the assurance process and begin to publish the preferred standards for use in health and social care. We will explore options for transitioning from a pilot phase to a Business-as-Usual service. This will support health and social care organisations to understand the preferred standards for use and encourage adoption of common data standards to drive up data quality and interoperability across the sector.
• Care Reform (Scotland) Bill – Following the successful passage of the Bill at Stage 3, we will now commence work to prepare and introduce secondary legislation. This will, amongst other elements, set out details of the digital health and care record, the information sharing scheme and civil enforcement scheme in relation to Information Standards. We will also issue guidance for implementation, consult stakeholders on potential regulations and support stakeholders as these legislative changes take effect.
• Scan for Safety – To continue the roll out of Point of Care Scanning in 12 Health Boards in total and go live with the Medical Device Data Hub and roll this out to nine Health Boards.