NHS Scotland uses ServiceNow to power vaccination and contact-tracing

NHS Scotland has used ServiceNow’s Now Platform as the digital backbone to support the rapid roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines.

To meet the demand for vaccinations in a timely and safe manner, NHS Scotland required an extensive system to drive the Scottish government’s ambition to vaccinate 5.5 million citizens in just three months. 

Launched nationwide on 20 January, the vaccine management system developed on the Now Platform integrates and digitises the vaccine administration process, and scheduled 220,000 vaccination appointments in the first 12 hours.

Built on the ServiceNow Now Platform in just six weeks, the vaccine management system enables the scheduling and recording of vaccinations for all 5.5 million citizens and allows Scotland’s general population to book their own appointments through a citizen portal.

As well as providing the vaccination system, ServiceNow has also been used by NHS Scotland for a suite of Workplace apps to support the national contact-tracing systems, manage the personal protective equipment (PPE) inventory throughout the country, and keep track of Scotland’s testing data.

“Developed in partnership with ServiceNow, NHS Scotland’s vaccine management system represents a seismic shift in our response to Covid-19 as it assists with allowing the entire vulnerable population of Scotland to be protected quickly and efficiently – leading to an anticipated easing of lockdown,” said Deryck Mitchelson, director of digital and chief information security officer at NHS Scotland.

“The vaccine management tools provided by ServiceNow have been vital to expediting Scotland’s vaccine efforts as we enter what we hope will be the final stages of the fight against Covid-19.”

Mitchelson described ServiceNow as “a strategic partner” in helping NHS Scotland respond to each phase of the pandemic, from monitoring PPE levels to managing contact-tracing challenges. “Now, as we move into what we hope is the final phase of this pandemic, we have chosen ServiceNow’s solutions to help us roll out our vaccination programme,” he said.

Along with ServiceNow, NHS Scotland has been on a journey to accelerate the use of digital technologies to streamline how it responds to the pandemic. Last April, it said Microsoft Teams was being deployed across all of Scotland’s health boards, from Shetland to Dumfries and Galloway. It said Teams was also being used across frontline health services including NHS24, Health Protection Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service.

At the time, it said the roll-out of Teams was being fast-tracked to enable staff to manage effectively the contingency measures in place across NHS Scotland. “It works securely across devices and is helping a huge range of colleagues work effectively despite having to restrict travel, meet online, isolate wards, self-quarantine, work remotely and for some support functions, that includes at home,” NHS Scotland said in a blog post.