SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT
“ We need to recognise that we are facing a real challenge in terms of people who ' ve had to pause their care , and they need that restarted again ”
JONATHAN CAMERON HEAD OF DIGITAL HEALTH AND CARE , SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT
Building digital skills The Digital Health and Care Directorate has also been working on the idea of a digital workforce for several years prior to the pandemic . Its aim is to develop the digital skills of staff , build confidence and promote digital as the right approach . To do this the Directorate is working with Scotland ’ s university and college sector on prequalification skills .
The pandemic meant this became a standard way of working , and Cameron tentatively says it is here to stay . " I fully expect greater use of webinars and hybrid events , and that applies to the delivery of training as well as the use of digital tools . We ' re looking forward to building on what we ' ve done before and continuing to mature not only the skills that people have , but also encouraging people to think digitally and about what that could bring to changing processes ."
This will take time , he says , but COVID- 19 has presented a real opportunity to accelerate it . " It ' s opened up greater flexibility , as people don ' t have to worry about traveling to get together . But inclusion is hard to gauge , and there will be groups of people who have found it challenging , that find it hard to engage via digital channels or who may have broadband difficulties . It ' s a little hard sometimes to understand who ' s been left behind , and we really don ' t want anyone to be left behind . But I do suspect as we come out of the COVID-19 response and into more of a business as usual recovery , that there will be people who say they really struggled and want to be back in the office full time or need more support . But I think that overall , people have really embraced digital and have worked incredibly hard during the last year and a half to deliver care across Scotland ."
Adoption of digital services One example of people successfully embracing digital healthcare is the NHS Near Me service , a video consultation platform available only in Scotland . Cameron says that usage prior to the pandemic was low - there were around 300 Near Me consultations a week before March 2020 , rising to nearly 17,000 a week by June . " We ' ve actually just had our millionth video consultation . The platform is a great example of something we had in our toolbox that we were able to pull out and support patients with .”
10 gov . scot