Digital Health and Care Data Strategy Working Group minutes: November 2021

Attendees and apologies

Attendees

• Alan Aitken (AA)
• Albert King (AK)
• Alistair Hodgson (AH)
• Anita Morrison (AM)
• Carol Sinclair (CS)
• Doreen Grove (DG)
• Nel Whiting (NW)
• Zoe Rhode (ZR)

Secretariat

• Simon Crawley (SC)

Apologies

• Adam Lang (AL)
• Colin Birchenall (CB)
• Elena Beratarbide (EB)
• Imme Jones (IJ)
• Penni Rocks (PR)

Items and actions

Welcome, apologies observed

RA welcomed everyone to the meeting and noted apologies

Agenda items discussed

Data Board Structure/ToR

Data board structure/ToR

RA presented the Initial ToR for the board to discuss members notes and sought support in determining and agreeing the membership of the Data Board, alongside the purpose, responsibility, role and remit.

Feedback

Board level

Suggested board members to be at senior level to steer, actions and tactical outcomes required and to share priorities across government. This will also be discussed at the portfolio board and set out what questions we require answered prior to putting board in place.

Membership

Is the board to inward looking? And at appropriate high level. Are there enough external representatives present. Ensuring challenge and scrutiny is carried out fairly due to this being public sector and NHS data. Is this a Delivery Board, Project Management or Strategic Governance?.

Suggestions

NHS boards represented as a collective, representative from IGB and NHS boards as these will be end users to ensure diversity.

Agreements

Board to be a strategic board and devlivery focused with final membership seniority and representation to be confirmed.

Responsibilities

Ensuring the board use population data for the benefit of the people of Scotland. How do we facilitate and resource this and develop priorities, deal with blocks and communicate with other portfolio boards D and IN PB. To become a vehicle that has a horizontal objective. Not one to rule them all but to bring and address shared priorities.

Board level:

• does this board sit alongside or feed into other senior level boards

AOB

RA gave an update on the current recruitment to support the development of the data strategy, including a Senior Policy Officer and a Stakeholder Engagement Manager to join the Digital Health and Care Policy team.

Next steps

• to do exploratory work to create a picture of how this board sits in the governance landscape and works with other boards across the public sector - RA/IJ
• discuss with Analytical Leadership Board (ALG) to see if they have a role to play/focus here - AK/AM