Tag: Health Secretary Neil Gray

Ministerial visit celebrates groundbreaking project

Innovating the future of independent living

A GROUNDBREAKING project is revolutionising the way technology and data are integrated into independent living solutions, offering transformative benefits for individuals across Scotland.

 Neil Gray MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, has praised the Peoplehood Project, a transformative initiative by Blackwood Homes and Care in collaboration with The Data Lab, Scotland’s innovation centre for data and AI during a visit. 

The visit took place at the Edinburgh Community Rehabilitation and Support Service, where Mr Gray experienced first-hand the innovative use of technology and data designed to support healthier, independent living for Scotland’s elderly and vulnerable populations.

Launched in 2022, the £12.5 million Peoplehood Project has engaged over 500 participants across Buckie, Dundee and Glasgow. The three-year project has co-designed new independent living models, incorporating cutting-edge assisted technologies and digital skills training aimed at improving quality of life while reducing dependence on social care services.

Neil Gray MSP commented: “The integration of technology into every-day lives is a key requirement in supporting individuals to live well at home for longer, and to support our health and social care services. We recognise that innovation must be at the heart of how we deliver these services across Scotland.

It is therefore important to recognise and to take the opportunity to learn from projects, such as Peoplehood, which are paving the way for a more sustainable and person-centred approach to social care.”

During the tour, Mr. Gray explored a Blackwood Home, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, and witnessed how the Edinburgh Community Rehabilitation and Support Service is using the technology to the benefit of users. 

Steph Sutherland, Development and Commercial Director at Blackwood Homes and Care, said: “At Blackwood, our vision is to help people live their lives to the full.

“The Peoplehood Project has demonstrated the transformative potential of assistive technology in creating homes and communities that support independence. 

“The learnings from the project will help shape our approach to independent living, ensuring that we can support as many people as possible to thrive in their homes and communities while leading healthier, more connected lives.”

Heather Thomson, Interim CEO of The Data Lab, added: “This collaboration demonstrates Scotland’s immense potential for innovation in health and social care. Through the power of data and AI, we are delivering ethical, impactful solutions that benefit communities across the country.”

The Peoplehood Project aligns with the UK Government’s Healthy Ageing Challenge Framework, addressing critical themes such as reducing social isolation, promoting independence, and fostering healthier lifestyles. The project’s insights are expected to influence Scotland’s social care sector on a national scale.

Blackwood Homes and Care, operating over 1,700 homes across 28 local authority areas, is renowned for its innovative approach to accessible housing, exemplified by the award-winning Blackwood House and CleverCogs technology.

Collaborating with The Data Lab – which is supported by the Scottish Government via the Scottish Funding Council National Innovation programme – the University of Edinburgh, CENSIS, Carebuilder and Mydex, the project harnesses data science to develop sustainable solutions for healthy ageing and independent living, contributing to Scotland’s leadership in data-driven social care innovation.

For more information about Blackwood Homes and Care, visit:
https://www.blackwoodgroup.org.uk

For more information about The Data Lab, visit: https://thedatalab.com/

Health Secretary praises NHS resilience

Services dealing with ‘extraordinary surge’ in flu cases

Health Secretary Neil Gray underlined the ‘resolve and resilience’ of the NHS as he praised the dedication of Scotland’s health and social care workforce in facing up to an ‘extraordinary surge’ in Influenza A cases.

The number of patients admitted to hospital as an emergency and testing positive for flu has surpassed the recent peak of the winter of 2022/23.

Following the latest in a series of meetings with First Minister John Swinney, health boards, the Scottish Ambulance Service, Public Health Scotland and NHS 24 earlier this week, Mr Gray praised the NHS response to the increased pressures on the system, in a statement to parliament.

He also thanked members of the public for continuing to follow guidance on the best way to access services, and for doing their bit to reduce the spread of infections in the community.

He stated that, as of 15 December, more than 1.2 million adult flu vaccinations have been administered. Those eligible to be vaccinated have until March to do so, with many health boards offering drop-in clinics.

Mr Gray said expert healthcare advice is available without the need for an appointment through the NHS Pharmacy First Scotland service, adding that £13.6 million of additional funding has been invested in General Practices to enable the recruitment and retention of staff.

Services such as Discharge to Assess and Hospital at Home are also key to helping health and social care partnerships to reduce delayed discharges, ensuring people who are clinically ready to leave hospital can do so.

Mr Gray said: “The resilience and determination shown by staff in the face of pressures across the health and care sector is inspiring.

“Every part of our health service has gone above and beyond to serve the country during the hardest months of the year.

“I’d like to thank the ambulance service staff for their sacrifice and devotion to their task, staying at work beyond the end of their shift as they wait to turnaround at hospitals.

“I’d also like to thank social care staff doing extra shifts to make up for staff being off sick with flu and GPs working at the weekends to offer appointments and bolster the resilience of the entire system.

“Hospital staff, like the porter I met at St John’s in Livingston on Christmas Eve, are working hard to turnaround beds as quickly as possible.

“This is the reality of public service – relentless, skilled, devoted and dedicated work to serve the people that need it most.

“Thanks to the incredible efforts of NHS staff and sure-handed planning, we are facing this with resilience and resolve.”

Digital tech to drive health and social care innovation

Seer 2 platform supporting collaboration across NHS boards

The expansion of a ‘world-leading’ data and analytics platform will help improve collaboration and innovation across Scotland’s health and social care system.

Seer is a platform that allows staff to access and analyse data easily, helping clinicians, teams and boards in decision-making around patient care and the planning of resources. Areas in which it is currently used include cancer intelligence, the monitoring of blood stocks and the flu vaccination programme. 

Seer 2 is the next phase, which utilises cloud technology and will give the health and social care workforce access to a more advanced version, increasing opportunities to access new tools and technologies with greater flexibility. These features have already been used to create new dashboards to help manage capacity during winter.

Speaking at the Digital Health and Care Scotland Conference 2024, Health Secretary Neil Gray also confirmed the Scottish Government will provide an update on Scotland’s first Data Strategy this spring – with an updated Delivery Plan for the Digital Health and Care Strategy to be published in April.

Mr Gray said: “NHS Scotland is growing opportunities to use digital and technology-driven services to enhance health and social care.

“Better use of data and digital technology is critical to how we drive improvements in healthcare and is a key part of our plans to reform services. Through enhancing our use of technology, we can unlock opportunities for collaboration across health boards and other organisations, and it is therefore vital that this includes maximisation of digital and far better, and far faster, use of data.

“It’s great to see how world leading Seer 2 is enabling us to support collaboration and innovation across government and the NHS, providing near real time intelligence to support decision making, build new insights and enable better outcomes. This platform is just one of the ways we are embracing tech to help us as we face challenges ahead in funding pressures, inequalities and workforce.”

Mr Gray was also at Boroughloch Medical Practice, which has a long history of embracing technology, where Dr Abhayaratna demonstrated an online consultation and workflow system that helps GP practices manage patient caseloads through operational change and digital triage.

This makes it easier for people to talk to their own doctor or other healthcare professional and helps GP practices to prioritise and deliver care through message, phone and video.

Dr Abhayaratna said: “We’ve been making digital access available to patients since October 2019, with around 80% of patients making requests of the practice online. The system supports us in making the best use of our multi-disciplinary team’s skills, to ensure each patient gets the best care for their needs.

“This has resulted in a balanced workload for our staff and has enhanced the overall efficiency of the practice. Importantly, patient feedback tells a similarly positive story with 75% of patients reporting that our digital service is ‘better’ than previous arrangements.”