First Minister John Swinney today confirmed that the rollout of a national health and social care app – Digital Front Door – will commence at the end of the year.
The service – which will be a ‘single means of access to their [citizens’] health and care information and to health and care services – will begin in the NHS Lanarkshire region as part of a phased introduction nationwide.
As part of a wide-ranging speech on the NHS at the National Robotarium, Scotland’s world-leading centre for robotics at Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt university – Mr Swinney spoke of digital as being central for a healthcare reboot.
He said: “Building on the already successful model of digital support for mental health – a service that saw 74,000 referrals in 2023-24 – we will offer support in additional areas including dermatology and the management of long-term conditions.
“This type of care, because it is not dependent on physical attendance, at a specific time, in a specific place, is more flexible. It means care can be made to fit better into the lives of those who use the services. Again, smarter care, and better care.
“And, as a much-needed addition to improve patients’ interaction with the NHS, there will be a Scottish health and social care app.
”This ‘Digital Front Door’ will begin rollout from the end of this year, starting in Lanarkshire, and, over time, it will become an ever more central, ever more important access and management point for care in Scotland.”
In what at times sounded like an election speech, with Holyrood elections to be held in May 2026, Mr Swinney said that he and his health secretary – the under-fire Neil Gray – “offer the leadership and direction” for NHS renewal in Scotland.
It comes as recent data suggested a widening gap in performance between Scotland and the rest of the UK when it comes to post-Covid recovery of services.
A report published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in November highlighted how NHS recovery in Scotland is ‘lagging’ behind England.
The report said: “While performance in both countries is below pre-pandemic levels (and lower than governments and populations would like it to be), things are, if anything, still getting worse in Scotland, whereas they have started to improve in England.”
In his speech at the National Robotarium, Mr Swinney pledged to address some of the performance issues. He said that an enhanced regional delivery model, ‘alongside increased levels of activity in our National Treatment Centres – will deliver over 150,000 extra appointments and procedures – in hospitals, in communities – in the coming year.’
That will include 10,000 extra procedures through smarter working in the National Treatment Centres. Other sites – including Gartnavel, Inverclyde, Stracathro, Perth Royal Infirmary and Queen Margaret Hospital – will deliver 9,500 extra cataract procedures. As well as 2,500 extra orthopaedic appointments and procedures – operations such as hip or knee replacements,’ Mr Swinney said.
He added: “In this way, we will create centres of excellence, places of expertise and specialisation, where we will be better placed to capitalise on the technological innovation and the potential of AI.”
Mr Swinney pledged to set out a new approach in the coming weeks at Holyrood, but it will be based on three actions: reducing the immediate pressures on the NHS, providing more community-based care and using digital technology and innovation to improve access to care.