The Scottish government is to commission an investigation into how social care data is managed here and outside Scotland as it prepares to create a National Care Service.

In a letter to Holyrood’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care, Kevin Stewart, revealed that ministers will again turn to external contractors to help develop data and digital plans for a single national social care operation.

One of the reviews will look at the varied “technology, service and digital architectural landscape” being used across care sector providers.

The Scottish government’s plans for a NCS said there was a ‘vast array of formal and informal digital (and paper) systems…Data is overwhelmingly held in separate silos at the local level, so it is difficult to form a national picture.’

It suggested all care providers would be required to provide data to the new care service in a bid to improve national and local decision-making.

Earlier this month, healthandcare.scot reported that accountancy firm KPMG had been awarded a £546,000 contract to put in place the resources ‘to map current models across health and social care’.

Last autumn, the government was criticised by trade unions and opposition parties for awarding £100,000 of design consultancy work to PwC.

In his letter to the committee’s convener, Mr Stewart said that the government has been clear that there needs to be a “consistent approach to data and effective information infrastructure” to support service delivery, inform planning, facilitate better regulation and provide data for research and analysis:

“In order to deliver this ambition and to ensure that our work is underpinned by a sound evidence base, we are commissioning three pieces of work from external contractors. The work will concentrate on the technology being used rather than social care services being delivered.”

Three contracts will be advertised to undertake research into what technical systems are being used successfully outside Scotland; to ask people using care services about the data that is important to them; and to investigate the digital systems being used across Scotland’s public, private and third sector care organisations.

“I am clear that this work will help build the foundation of the data and digital plans for the NCS,” Mr Stewart said.

“The aim is to remove duplication and build on what is already working well for people that are at the heart of this programme.

“We want to remove any assumptions that exist in the data and digital landscape and work closely with partners across the sector to deliver a consistent, person-centred service across the country.”

Read more: Scotland must not rush into National Care Service; Yousaf: NCS blueprint not ‘fait accompli’; Budget: Major increase in social care spending

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