Care in the Digital Age: Delivery Plan 2023-24

Care in the Digital Age: Delivery Plan 2023-24

Delivery Plan 2023-24

Our first Care in the Digital Age Delivery Plan was published in November 2022. At that time, we committed to updating it on an annual basis, reviewing progress to date with our delivery partners and agreeing priorities for each 12-month period. This refreshed plan for 2023-24 describes the activities under way that support local Health Boards, Health and Social Care Partnerships, local authorities, primary care, social care, social work, and care providers to offer new or improved services, with better systems, infrastructure, and improved access to digital services and products.

The Delivery Plan summarises the activities required in achieving the aims of our overall Digital Health and Care Strategy 'Care in the Digital Age'. Published in October 2021, the Strategy responded to the increased use and public acceptance of digital health and care solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the opportunities for digital innovation to improve people's health and care in Scotland. It is underpinned by the joint Scottish Government and COSLA Statement of Intent, which states that we will deliver new digital products and solutions in Health and Social Care services to support the national priorities for Proactive and Preventative Care; a National Care Service; NHS Recovery; and the Healthcare Framework for Care Homes. We also recognise the role that Digital can play in Scotland meeting its Net Zero ambitions – for example, the Near Me service has saved some 60 million travel miles to date.

Work on the Delivery Plan continues to integrate with the Care and Wellbeing Portfolio for alignment of longer-term strategy, and, through the Chief Operating Officer, drive delivery through the Board Annual Delivery Planning for short- and medium-term delivery. Both provide greater opportunity to bring together in a more collaborative way existing work, for example, the use of Near Me in our Flow Navigation Centres (FNCs) to enable people receive care at home, or as close to home as possible and reduce avoidable attendances at A&E, improving access to primary care services as well as helping people will avoid longer hospital stays and delayed discharges through the scale-up and adoption of initiatives like Hospital @Home. This will need to be considered as we develop detailed milestones for each of the deliverables, considering the current budgetary position, the increased and shared policy focus, and the ever-shifting creativity of new technology.

We are active partners in the Innovation Design Authority (IDA) and the work of the Accelerated Innovation and Adoption Pathway (ANIA), driving our commitment to harnessing the power of innovation across services. In partnership with the Chief Scientist Office, we are refining and improving the ANIA pathways to ensure that delivery and implementation are sustainable. We are supporting interaction between entry points for new innovations, alongside the identification and adoption of innovation solutions that meet the needs of users.

Our refreshed Delivery Plan outlines how we will deliver our Digital Health and Care Strategy working in collaboration with Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs). The Plan notes work achieved in 2022-23 and provides an update on our work in 2023-24 and beyond including the development of detailed delivery plans and milestones with our delivery partners, HSCPs and Health Boards.

Three Aims of Our Strategy:

• Aim 1: Citizens have access to, and greater control over, their own health and care data – as well as access to the digital information, tools and services they need to help maintain and improve their health and wellbeing.
• Aim 2: Health and care services are built on people-centred, safe, secure and ethical digital foundations which allow staff to record, access and share relevant information across the health and care system, and feel confident in their use of digital technology, in order to improve the delivery of care.
• Aim 3: Health and care planners, researchers and innovators have secure access to the data they need in order to increase the efficiency of our health and care systems and develop new and improved ways of working.

To deliver our aims and realise the vision, we continue to focus on six priority areas:

• Digital access: People have flexible digital access to information, their own data and services that support their health and wellbeing, wherever they are.
• Digital services: Digital options are increasingly available as a choice for people accessing services and staff delivering them.
• Digital foundations: The infrastructure, systems, regulation, standards, and governance are in place to ensure robust and secure delivery.
• Digital skills and leadership: Digital skills are seen as core skills for the workforce across the health and care sector.
• Digital futures: Our wellbeing and economy benefits as Scotland remains at the heart of digital innovation and development.
• Data-driven services and insight: Data is harnessed to the benefit of citizens, services and innovation.