Care in the Digital Age: Delivery Plan 2023-24

Digital Skills and Leadership

Priority Four: Digital skills are seen as core skills for the workforce across the health and care sector.

In order to embed digital transformation, leaders across health and social care must be equipped with the necessary digital skills. That extends to the skills required to identify where digital could be used, rather than just how to use digital. This requires us to continue building knowledge and skills within the health and social care system to support and deliver digital transformation. This starts from the top of an organisation, from Board-level down. The success of digital transformation is entirely reliant on people's ability to know when, why and crucially how to use digital. Workforce development in digital skills, leadership and capabilities across the whole health and social care sector underpins the successful uptake and use of digital technologies.

What we will deliver

Provide a Leading Digital Transformation in Health and Care MSc for 50 people a year.

Why we are doing this

• Support and develop our current and future leaders to drive, deliver and embed digital transformation across Scotland’s health and care services

Who is leading this work

• NES

When it will be delivered

• March 2026

What we will deliver

A refreshed programme supporting digital data leadership and skills via published Learning Pathways for specific staff groupings and career stages

Why we are doing this

• To further develop the core skills and digital confidence of the current, future, and specialist workforce in health and social care.

Who is leading this work

• Scottish Government Digital Health and Care Directorate
• COSLA
• LGDO
• NES
• SSSC
• DHI

When it will be delivered

• September 2024

What we will deliver

Support the development of our specialist Digital, Data, and Technology (DDaT) professional workforce.

Why we are doing this

• Inform recruitment and retention and ensure the appropriate level of leadership, skills and capacity, with an initial focus on the DDaT Capability Framework within NHS Scotland Boards.

Who is leading this work

• Scottish Government Digital Health and Care Directorate
• COSLA
• LGDO
• NHS Boards
• NES

When it will be delivered

• December 2025

What we will deliver

Promote move to continuous model of measuring digital maturity progress, and use results to inform priority setting and planning.

Why we are doing this

Develop leaders’ understanding of the digital agenda, build confidence and competence to harness and exploit opportunities of digital transformation in health and social care services

Who is leading this work

NES

When it will be delivered

March 2024

What we will deliver

Launch health and social care themed 'Innovation for Wellbeing' challenges through CivTech 10.

Why we are doing this

• Provide a national opportunity for multiple health and social care organisations to collaboratively identify and request solutions for specific challenges facing the health and social care sector.
• An approach that seeks to bring to light innovation and ideas on an established national platform that can benefit of the whole of Scotland.
• CivTech challenges allows the bespoke nature of health and social care sector which requires a unique set of skills and approaches given its complexity and size to come together to develop innovative solutions.

Who is leading this work

• CivTech (Digital Directorate)
• Scottish Government Digital Health and Care Directorate and Chief Scientist Office (CSO)
• NHS Test Beds
• DHI
• LGDO and others, depending on the nature of the challenges.

When it will be delivered

• April 2024