The organisation that gathers and analyses information collected across NHS Scotland has unveiled an ambitious strategy that will allow it to develop tools that bring together currently disparate datasets to model public health emergencies and predict poorer health in individuals and communities.

Public Health Scotland’s digital strategy aims to change the organisation’s focus on simply collecting and presenting data on illness and NHS activity, to using it to create intelligence-led public health interventions and policies for Scotland.

Public Health Scotland (PHS) was formed last year, bringing on board a mix of NHS organisations including ISD – NHS Scotland’s data and statistics division. It is overseen jointly by the Scottish government and the local authorities’ organisation COSLA.

It will play a central role in the Scottish government’s ambition that citizens should have access to all the information they need to inform their own health and lifestyle choices.

Vicki Bibby, Director of Strategic Planning and Performance at PHS, says the vision is to deliver a world-class public health system for a Scotland where everybody thrives:

“PHS has a vision of a Scotland where people live healthier lives, for longer. To make this a reality we need to be innovative in what we do and how we do it.

“Digital technologies are key to this. They can help us connect and collaborate with communities and partners, leading to better population health. Improved outcomes are our goal and digital has an exciting and critical role to play.

“The production of the strategy has been a truly collaborative effort, produced with national and local government, the NHS, third sector and other public bodies. We greatly value the joint working with those who share our commitment and ambition to improve health outcomes through digital.”

PHS says an early priority is to bring together the “vast yet fragmented digital and data estate” of its predecessor organisations.

Its own analysis suggested it needs to move away from concentrating on business as usual activity and to creating systems that support the development of tools that allow it to get real-time information on national and local health.

The strategy sets out to draw together datasets for care, education and social and economic activity, as well as health, to identify factors that are causing some of Scotland’s health inequalities.

Scott Heald, Director of Data Driven Innovation at PHS, says the organisation is proud to already be contributing to Scotland’s digital revolution:

“This year more than ever we have seen the necessity for good data and the urgency for digital solutions.

“The public covid-19 dashboard is an example of this, providing accurate, timely data at speed and challenging PHS to work differently.

“Going forward, we will work with partners to create even richer sources of data that can lead to targeted public health interventions. The digital and data strategy is a significant step in progressing our long-term vision of a Scotland with flourishing communities.”

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