A Scottish economic thinktank is calling for Scotland to invest in improving the way it collects and managed data to save lives, create jobs and protect the future of the NHS and social care to help the sector recover from the pandemic.

The Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) says investing in health and social care data, digital platforms and technology will help transform the health and care sector and boost the economy.

The authors also say investing in health and social care could lead to over a third of the total NHS Scotland budget being saved and reinvested.

In its report mind the gap, SCDI says the collection, analysis and sharing of data about the virus has shown itself to be essential in helping policymakers, researchers and health and social care professionals to save lives and livelihoods during the pandemic.

The report suggests that investment is needed now in new and emerging technologies like AI and automation, underpinned by ethical robust and secure data, to build resilience into health and social care systems for the future.

Using research by analysists at Dell and EY, the report estimates that Scotland’s health and social care data could be harnessed to deliver £5.4bn in savings for NHS Scotland alone.

The report identifies what it calls ‘Scotland’s Data Gap’ – the gap between ‘the health and social care data we collect, utilise or share today and the health and social care data we need and could collect, utilise or share in the future’ to better design and deliver care and services.

But it says that trust and transparency is key to achieving the potential of data and digital systems: that health and social care data collection and use needs to be ethical, secure and anonymised as far as possible with robust governance arrangements for use and sharing.

The report welcomes the Scottish Government’s commitment in its Programme for Government to publishing a dedicated data strategy for health and social care this year.

SCDI says the strategy needs to be backed by a Health and Social Care Transformation Fund to invest in closing Scotland’s Data Gap.

Alongside investment, the authors say there needs to be renewed focus on reskilling, upskilling and lifelong learning to develop a health and social care workforce that is “better equipped to harness data, digital and technology”.

The report also says Scotland needs to modernise and upgrade health and social care infrastructure “to build a single national data architecture which integrates systems, enables ethical data sharing and creates secure digital health records”.

Sara Thiam, SCDI’s Chief Executive, says the report supports the ambition for Scotland’s health and care sector to be built back better:

“As we look to recover and build resilience from covid-19, this report could not be more timely or more important.

“Our doctors, nurses, pharmacists and social care professionals working in our hospitals, our care homes and our communities have been heroic throughout the pandemic. They deserve our support to harness data, digital and technology to transform health and social care for the future.

“Scotland has a narrow window of opportunity to establish itself as a leader in data and innovation in health and social care. There are big social and economic gains for all of us if we can work together to close Scotland’s data gap.”

Alison Culpan, Director of the pharmaceutical industry body ABPI in Scotland, welcomed the report’s recommendations:

“Now more than ever we need to close the data gap and re-establish Scotland as a country at the forefront of digital innovation.  

“This report clearly outlines the steps required to realise the data vision and ensure healthcare data can not only improve patient lives but stimulate economic growth in a post-covid world.

“ABPI Scotland was delighted to be part of SCDI’s steering group and remain committed to delivering the safe use of healthcare data for all of Scotland’s citizens.”

Steph Wright is Director of Health and Wellbeing Engagement at The Data Lab, Scotland’s innovation centre for data and AI:

“Data and AI have huge potential to significantly impact the delivery of better health and social care in Scotland. As Scotland's innovation centre for data and AI, we at the Data Lab were delighted to contribute to this report.

“We look forward to working with everyone to realise this potential.”

 

Sign up to our bulletin for key health & social care updates straight to your inbox.