NHS builds vaccine scheduling system on US tech giant’s digital workflow platform 

The NHS in Scotland is rolling out a national vaccine scheduling system in order to administer Covid-19 jabs for 4.5 million people in just 90 days.

NHS National Services Scotland’s (NSS) vaccine management system was developed on the US tech giant ServiceNow’s digital workflow ‘Now’ platform – with in 220,000 vaccination appointments booked in the first 12 hours of its launch on January 20.

“Developed in partnership with ServiceNow, NHS Scotland’s vaccine management system represents a seismic shift in our response to Covid-19 as it assists with allowing the entire vulnerable population of Scotland to be protected quickly and efficiently – leading to an anticipated easing of lockdown,” said Deryck Mitchelson, Director of Digital and Chief Information Security Officer at NHS National Services Scotland (NSS).

“The vaccine management tools provided by ServiceNow have been vital to expediting Scotland’s vaccine efforts as we enter what we hope will be the final stages of the fight against Covid-19.”

NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) required an extensive system to drive the Scottish Government’s ambition to vaccinate 4.5 million citizens in just three months. Built on the ServiceNow Now Platform, in just six weeks, the system enables the scheduling and recording of vaccinations for all 4.5 million citizens and allows the general population to book their own appointments through a ‘citizen portal’.

NHS Scotland has also used ServiceNow’s ‘safe workplace’ suite of apps to quickly develop effective national contact tracing systems, manage PPE inventory throughout the country, and keep track of Scotland’s testing data.

“ServiceNow has been a strategic partner in helping NHS Scotland respond to each phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, from monitoring our PPE levels to managing contact tracing challenges,” added Mitchelson. “Now, as we move into what we hope is the final phase of this pandemic, we have chosen ServiceNow’s solutions to help us roll out our vaccination programme.”

“With more than 15 billion Covid-19 vaccines required worldwide, managing the vaccine process is one of the most significant workflow challenges of our lifetime,” added Paul Smith, EMEA President at ServiceNow. “Because of the agility of the Now Platform, we were able to help NHS Scotland develop and deploy its vaccine management solution in just six weeks. We are proud to support NHS Scotland with its most pressing and vital task of getting Scottish citizens vaccinated and healthy.”