The challenge for governments in the wake of a global pandemic 

Pre-COVID-19, Scotland’s health and care systems were on a clear pathway to closer integration and digitisation. But the pandemic has forced leaders to move  service delivery online at a much-accelerated pace – transforming digital first rhetoric into a liveable reality for millions of citizens overnight. Platforms were  
rapidly spun up and years of change were compressed into a matter of months.  
This session will explore how public sector leaders responded to an unprecedented challenge, what lessons were learned for our national strategic aims and what a global pandemic will mean for the future of technology-led health and care. 
Moderator: Margaret Whoriskey

The Scottish Approach to Service Design (SAtSD) has embedded itself as a core driver in the development of public services since the influential Christie Commission of 2011. The future of health and care will increasingly be ‘person-centred’ in line with national strategic aims to create electronic health records (EHRs) for every citizen. This session will explore wider service design considerations in health and care, including scaling efforts of Existing services and content to improve information provision for COVID-19.

How data is handled, and secured within national and local health and care systems, has long been a major consideration in healthcare. Caldicott Guardians across the NHS  
were appointed to safeguard the way organisations dealt with uniquely private and personal information they hold on citizens. Post COVID-19, we assess the data and privacy landscape in health and care and ask how systems such as Test & Protect – vast in its complexity and organisational data flows – stood up to information governance and assurance standards.

Remote patient monitoring and home-based care systems have enabled local health and care resources to be directed at Scotland’s vulnerable and at-risk communities. Whether for the management of lifelong conditions, or to protect the elderly and frail at home, telecare solutions have long pre-dated COVID-19. They continue to be upscaled and delivered free at the point of use during the pandemic, with the formation of a National Telecare COVID-19 Advisory Group to oversee progress. This session will explore how a ‘Once for Scotland’ approach has been adopted as those services face a transition from analogue-based call systems to digital in the coming years. 

From the provision of educational resources instructing staff to carry out swab tests on COVID-19 suspected cases, to delivering ‘how to’ guides to correctly don vital PPE, 
NHS and care educational resources have been delivered largely digitally throughout the pandemic. Platforms such as Turas – the NHS Education for Scotland learning resource – have seen unprecedented growth in use as workforces have turned to webinars and online resources to ensure learning and skills levels can be maintained  
through a pandemic. This session will explore what the new normal will look like for health and care organisations as they seek to keep their staff at the cutting edge  
of treatment and diagnostic standards in Scotland.  

Virtual drinks reception and networking