NHSScotland assets and facilities 2015: annual report

Annex E: IM&T Assets

Information on IM&T assets is based on data collected from the eHealth IM&T survey carried out in 2012, as this remains the most accurate information currently available on these assets. There are, however, plans to improve on the data available for this asset which may be available for next year's SAFR report.

The purpose of that survey was to provide a baseline of overall IM&T expenditure within NHSScotland in order that a better understanding could be gained on the current profile of investment in IM&T, identify priority areas for future development and shape future investment plans. The survey also collected information on client devices and peripherals (devices are items such as desktop computers, laptops, tablets etc; whereas peripherals are items that support these devices, such as printers).

The following two charts provide a breakdown of information gathered on client devices and peripherals related to the number of such devices.

Total Client Devices, 132,306

Total Peripherals, 51,133

This information can be regarded as a baseline year which NHS Scotland can use to monitor future trends in the use of devices and peripherals. For example, NHS Scotland anticipates that the use of tablets and handheld devices will increase in future as the volume of care provided in the home environment increases and staff work on a more mobile / home working basis. By capturing this basic data, NHS Scotland will be able to monitor trends in device usage and use this information to inform future service planning.