The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change report claims Scots are years behind their counterparts in England due to the SNP executive’s desire to reinvent the wheel
The NHS in Scotland is still reliant on old technology(Image: Getty Images)
John Swinney has been branded “analogue John” over the SNP Government’s refusal to use “English tech” leaving Scots NHS stuck with pagers and fax machines, according to a damning new report by Sir Tony Blair’s think tank.
The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) claims that “political optics” have held Scotland back from implementing vital digital services that patients in England have enjoyed for years.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie branded First Minister John Swinney “analogue John,” stating: “Doctors are relying on pagers, GPs are using fax machines and patients still don’t have an app.”
According to the report, the approval process for medical innovations in Scotland takes too long, and current digital platforms, including the main website for chronic conditions, are woefully outdated.
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It compared the NHS app to its English counterpart which allows users to manage appointments, access test results, and book health checks (for ages 40 to 74), Scotland’s progress has severely lagged.
The Scottish equivalent has been promised for five years, but currently exists only as a limited pilot in Lanarkshire strictly for dermatology, offering very basic functionality, reports the Sunday Times.
Dan Hall, lead author of the report and senior health policy analyst at the TBI, suggested that politics is getting in the way of patient care.
He said: “There is potentially a bit of a political dimension where the Scottish government is saying we want to do this in our own way and we do not want to necessarily use elements from NHS apps in England that have been worked out. But they do not need to reinvent the wheel.”
This assessment aligns with a document leaked in November, which revealed that the Scottish Government factored in “the political optics of adopting an English solution” when deciding to reject NHS England’s app as a foundational template.
To streamline the system, the it recommended the Scottish NHS to trust technology evaluations already conducted by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) rather than duplicating the process.
It also called to cut the current number of health boards (14 regional and seven special) because they duplicate workloads and lack accountability for failing to introduce digital innovations.
It also suggested to end the practice of forcing health boards to compete for funding for proven programs like “hospital at home,” which wastes valuable clinical time on writing bids.
It argued the Scottish NHS has become “increasingly inefficient” since the pandemic. Despite an increase in staff numbers and expenditure, the public hasn’t seen corresponding benefits, leaving a “burnt-out workforce… held back from improving performance and outcomes by a broken system.”
Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie branded First Minister John Swinney “analogue John,” stating: “Doctors are relying on pagers, GPs are using fax machines and patients still don’t have an app.”
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Dr. Sandesh Gulhane echoed the criticism, agreeing that the SNP has left the health service stuck in a bygone era.
Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray insisted that progress is imminent. He stated that MyCare.scot, Scotland’s answer to the NHS app, will roll out nationally in April and undergo progressive improvements.
He said: “In 2025-26 we invested more than £115 million in digital health and care,” Mr Gray said pointing to the new GP IT infrastructure and digital prescribing pathways. He maintained that under the SNP, “patients are benefiting from transformative technological innovations.”
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