Spotlight Session 1

Scan for Safety: Innovative Point of Care Scanning Transforming Healthcare

The Scan for Safety Programme is driving forward patient safety by improving the digital traceability of high-risk implantable medical devices. By enabling point-of-care scanning and real-time data capture, the programme is transforming how devices are tracked - from supplier, to hospital, to patient.  

Delegates will hear from the National Clinical Lead for the Programme on the progress being made, the impact it's already having through national collaboration, and the path ahead. They will be joined by the General Manager for Diagnostics within NHS Lothian acute services to share frontline perspectives from acute service.  

Together, they will explore how this Digital First approach is:  

• Improving Patient Safety by ensuring traceability of implantable devices across the supply chain - from supplier to hospital staff and ultimately to the patient  

• Delivering operational and clinical efficiencies, saving time and money.  

Delegates will also gain insight into the real impact on  patients and staff in Boards who have implemented the new technology, as well as key lessons learned along the way.

Changing People’s Behaviour to Reduce GP Demand

Scotland currently has the lowest life expectancy in the UK. However, recent research involving over half a million people demonstrates how adopting a healthy lifestyle can improve life expectancy – for people with and without long-term conditions. 

With a growing population and rising levels of multimorbidity, there is an urgent need for affordable, innovative, and upstream approaches to support healthier behaviours and  reduce pressure on primary care. 

Holly Health is a digital, compassionate, health coaching service which helps people to feel physically and mentally better. 

The Holly Health App, introduced in October 2023, supports behaviour change across key lifestyle areas including sleep, nutrition and exercise. Initially launching in East Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) GP practices, then rolling out across NHS Ayrshire & Arran.  

Delegates will learn how the Board successfully introduced and scaled a behaviour change App across HSCP’s, primary care and acute services. The presentation will highlight early insights on how this digital approach is helping to reduce demand for GP appointments, and where it shows the greatest potential to release capacity and support preventative care at scale.

Strengthening Our Services: The National Elective Coordination Unit's Approach for Dermatology

Through collaborative, sustainable, and integrated care, the Centre for Sustainable Delivery’s National Elective Coordination Unit (NECU) is helping to transform access and equity across NHS Scotland. By strengthening services across boundaries, NECU has supported over 220,000 patients and enabled treatment for more than 12,500 patients through 40 capacity campaigns. 

NECU’s innovative work focuses on optimising  waiting lists, reducing missed appointments, and supporting Boards to identify patients who still require care - ensuring resources are used effectively and equitably. 

A key success factor has been the development of a robust governance model for sharing resource between NHS Boards, which improves consistency of care, and reduces variation for the longest waiting patients across NHS Scotland.  

In this presentation, delegates will hear about how NECU has evidenced a digital once for Scotland approach to cross boundary patient and clinical triage that ensures the right patient is treated at the right time, including urgent alerting of suspected cancers.  

The national dermatology campaign required novel and innovative models of care to support high volume image capture and triage and treatment of patients with the longest waits.  

This forward-thinking, patient-centred approach is not only supporting  in planned care recovery – it is also making a real different to people across Scotland, with 98% of patients reporting positive feedback on their experience.