NHS Scotland sets out plans for future investment in healthcare IT systems and solutions

In its updated eHealth Strategy, published this week, NHS Scotland sets out proposals to get patients more directly involved in their own healthcare by focusing on outcomes delivered by innovative systems and solutions.

The potential of information technology to support and transform healthcare services is universally recognised

Covering the six-year period until 2017, the document shows a considerable investment in technology under five strategic aims: supporting people to communicate with NHS Scotland; contributing to care integration; improving medicines safety; enhancing the availability of information for staff; and maximising efficient work practices.

The strategy outlines a number of key priorities for improving patient involvement, including:

• The development of a national multi-channel strategy on ‘citizen eHealth’ aimed at improving the range of contact patients can have with the NHS
• The use of electronic information portals by all health boards to provide essential information to frontline staff, saving time and improving patient safety
• A new health and social care IT strategy in partnership with local authorities, which will help pave the way for improvements in information sharing between health and social care workers and see greater integration of services
• The establishment of programmes to replace paper with digital equivalents, along with digital dictation, voice recognition, scanning and video-conferencing

Launching the strategy, Scottish Health Secretary, Nicola Sturgeon, said: “The potential of information technology to support and transform healthcare services is universally recognised.

“Our new eHealth strategy will see boards put new technology in place that will give patients online access to their medical records, improve patient safety, allow NHS staff to share information appropriately and move us ever closer to a paper-free NHS.

Our new eHealth strategy will see boards put new technology in place that will give patients online access to their medical records, improve patient safety, allow NHS staff to share information appropriately and move us ever closer to a paper-free NHS

“Rather than focusing on products and technology, we will instead look to the benefits and outcomes experienced by the people of Scotland flowing from eHealth-enabled service redesign and quality improvements.”

Alongside the document is a second publication, the eHealth Finance Strategy. It shows that, from this year, the majority of funding for IT systems will be distributed to regional health boards, rather that being allocated on a project-by-project basis or spent centrally by the Scottish Government. Included will be investment in change programmes to deliver the five strategic eHealth aims; infrastructure enablers, for example broadband and email; and application and service enablers, for example improvements to existing technologies like PACS and SCI Store.

Rather than focusing on products and technology, we will instead look to the benefits and outcomes experienced by the people of Scotland flowing from eHealth-enabled service redesign and quality improvements

The eHealth Strategy states: “Technological change is leading to new ways of delivering and improving public services. It allows greater opportunity for people to contribute their views, access information and interact with others.

“Improved broadband coverage across Scotland is allowing greater and faster internet access from home and smartphones. For young people, in particular, the internet and mobile phones are fast becoming the primary means by which they can be communicated with and through which they expect to access services.

“eHealth can enable NHS Scotland to take advantage of the everyday technologies already used by most people in their daily lives. It can also enable people to become more active participants in the healthcare and services they receive. What is more, effective engagement with people is fundamental to quality improvement. High-quality care is not just about meeting the needs of people who present themselves, but is also about reaching out to those who need care, but may not seek it. eHealth has considerable potential to make healthcare more person-centred and responsive.

“For NHS Scotland, this means that failing to develop ways to reach out electronically has serious implications for the long-term health of a large section of society. eHealth could contribute to a radical transformation in the delivery of health and social care services in Scotland through enabling people to access and interact with their health records electronically, and through a greater emphasis on the delivery of services through different communication channels.”

As well as improving patient feedback, NHS staff will also have more information at their fingertips to help increase their knowledge of individual patients, reduce unnecessary duplicate tests, improve the standard of patient records, and to aid with decision-making.

eHealth could contribute to a radical transformation in the delivery of health and social care services in Scotland through enabling people to access and interact with their health records electronically, and through a greater emphasis on the delivery of services through different communication channels

And security will be beefed up across the board, with all trusts and health organisations introducing single sign-on technology.

It is vitally important that people who receive healthcare services have confidence in eHealth systems and procedures to respect their privacy and handle their information properly

The report states: “It is vitally important that people who receive healthcare services have confidence in eHealth systems and procedures to respect their privacy and handle their information properly. Single sign-on and audit tools are two key elements of the strategy, and essential components of portal technologies. Single sign-on removes the need for clinicians to enter multiple passwords to use different systems. Rules on who can access information are in place and NHS Scotland organisations have monitoring systems in place that can identify who is looking, what they are looking at, and where and when this activity takes place.”

NHS Boards will now have to decide how they will take the aims of the strategy forward and incorporate this in their local delivery plans (LDPs), which are essentially performance contracts between the Scottish Government and individual boards. Aligned to the LDPs will be eHealth plans, which will run for three years and will be signed off by a senior management board and progress reported on annually.