The Scottish Government is planning to launch an app to support health and social care in the country, its first minister has said.
John Swinney referred to the plan in a speech on renewing Scotland’s NHS at the National Robotarium in Edinburgh, saying the app will provide a ‘digital front door’ for patients.
He described it as “a much needed addition to improve patients’ interaction with the NHS” and said it will be available at the end of this year.
“This ‘digital front door’ will begin roll out 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,” Swinney said.
This will be part of a broad effort to us digital innovation to improve access to care – one of three purposes that he outlined in his speech.
Digital support
“Building on the already successful model of digital support for mental health – a service that saw 74,000 referrals in 2023-254 – we will offer support in additional areas including dermatology and the management of long term conditions,” Swinney said.
The other purposes will be to reduce the immediate pressures across the NHS – with an increase in capacity of 150,000 additional appointments and procedures per year – and increased investment in primary care, reflecting the desire to shift the balance of care from acute services to the community.
