Meeting of the Parliament 13 March 2025
I would welcome any programme that pushes good innovations and good pieces of technology that could be used by all of NHS Scotland.
The cabinet secretary mentioned a triple helix, but it is actually a quadruple helix that we need, because patients need to be involved. Patients need to trust that their data and what they are asked to be involved in will make a difference for them.
The Scottish Conservatives have a vision for, and a real commitment to, digital transformation. We understand what is needed and how to deliver it. The SNP record is clear—18 years of failure, broken promises and wasted opportunities. Innovation is not just about talking about the future; it is about delivering it. On that, the SNP has failed utterly, and Scotland deserves better. Our patients, our doctors and our nurses—in fact, our entire health and social care system—deserve better.
I move amendment S6M-16777.1, to insert at end:
“; acknowledges that much of the NHS’s existing IT infrastructure is outdated and suffers from interoperability issues, which harm productivity and create an additional burden on NHS staff; further acknowledges that a lack of modern, effective IT infrastructure has created challenges for GP practices and patients, including difficulties in easily booking appointments or ordering repeat prescriptions; believes that the introduction of an NHS Scotland app, a universal software architecture platform and a single shared digital patient records system to enable seamless transfer of medical information within and between NHS boards, local authorities and other care providers, would be transformational for all aspects of health and social care; understands the vast potential of artificial intelligence within health and social care to accelerate diagnosis, increase productivity and improve patient outcomes; recognises the significantly greater progress made in other parts of the UK and in European nations in developing and implementing these technologies, and considers it vital to the future of Scotland’s health and social care provision that adoption and innovation of new technologies within the sector is accelerated.”
15:43Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.