NHS 24 delivers major digital upgrade to transform patient care in Scotland
NHS 24 has completed a significant milestone in its Digital Transformation Programme (DTP), marking a new chapter in how urgent and out-of-hours healthcare is delivered across Scotland.
The organisation’s new clinical support systems were implemented in October and are already demonstrating clear benefits and efficiencies for both staff and patients in the first weeks of operation.
NHS 24 delivers a range of services, including 111 and Breathing Space, and the new system ensures these are fit for the future, supporting better patient access and more efficient care.
NHS 24’s DTP began in 2023 as existing infrastructure contracts were coming to an end. The DTP brought together several projects – as well as the introduction of new call centre and support systems, the IT help desk was brought in-house, and improvements were also made to data storage and analysis. These projects were supported by a specialised training and development programme for staff.
The digital upgrade delivers better patient access, greater staff efficiency, improved data sharing for partners, and reduced running costs across Scotland’s urgent care services.
NHS 24’s Chief Executive Jim Miller said:
“Delivering large scale digital programmes can be extremely challenging. Bringing this project in on time and on budget is a fantastic achievement. The DTP represents more than a technology upgrade. It will transform how we care, connect, and serve our patients.
“I want to thank all NHS 24 staff for their dedication and professionalism, which were essential to the success of the DTP. I am also grateful to our commercial partners and stakeholders for their collaboration and expertise. Together, we’ve achieved significant progress and laid strong foundations for the future of digital health in Scotland.”
Health Secretary Neil Gray said:
“This new digital system is the result of a huge amount of planning by NHS 24, and I thank everyone involved for their hard work in implementing it so seamlessly.
“The new programme is already making a difference to both staff and patients, with NHS 24 reporting it is much easier to use, and patients benefitting from a more responsive service. This is another great example of how digital innovation can improve healthcare for everyone.”
John Speight, Executive Director at Coforge said:
“Working collaboratively, with a “One-team” mindset, the teams from NHS 24, Coforge, Pega, and Amazon Web Services have built and successfully deployed a secure, resilient, and innovative contact centre and CRM solution that will help improve patient care in Scotland. Coforge is extremely proud to have been able to play a pivotal role in this programme, and we look forward to supporting NHS 24 in their ongoing digital transformation journey to shape the future of healthcare.”
Alex Case, senior director, government industry principal (EMEA), at Pegasystems said:
“This transformation is about providing patient choice, safety and clinical excellence. By delivering a reliable, scalable solution that can integrate seamlessly across the NHS’s systems, the call handler is empowered to fully focus on the patient and provide the best possible outcome for them.”
Leanne Hurrell, Head of UK Regional Public Sector at Amazon Web Services said:
“NHS 24 is a vital health service for Scottish citizens who need urgent care, and we are proud to support its digital transformation. By using Amazon Connect, NHS 24 is able to provide an enhanced service for patients, improved reliability, and access to real-time analytics to continually improve both the patient and staff experience. Building its service on the cloud means that NHS 24 can cost-effectively scale-up to manage peak times, such as the Winter season. We look forward to continuing to work with NHS 24 to help realise the benefits of digital technology and the cloud.”