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Background PEACEPLUS is a cross-border funding programme supported by the European Union, the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Government of Ireland, and the Northern Ireland administration. The programme is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), and is designed to support peace, prosperity, and economic growth across the Island of Ireland. The programme welcomes Scottish participation as territorial collaboration across borders, involving partners both within and outside the formal Programme area to address challenges, is a fundamental aspect of the PEACEPLUS Programme. The main benefit of project activity must be to the programme area but there is an acknowledgement that there are, and continue to be, excellent relationships within certain sectors which, if built upon under PEACEPLUS, will continue to deliver high quality impacts to citizens. The core Programme area includes Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland, namely Counties Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Louth, Monaghan, and Sligo. However, Cross border collaboration is not strictly limited to the administrative borders of the Programme but has a flexible geography depending on the topic concerned - functional areas. Using the concept of a functional area will allow for organisations and institutions not based in the core programme area to add value to projects, by linking with partners within the core Programme area. What matters is that the benefits of the project are significant for the Programme area and that they are demonstrated strongly within any subsequent application. The location of the project or the location of the partners is not a defining matter. Scotland has been involved in many Cross border collaborations supported by The Special European Bodies. Funding Opportunity PEACEPLUS have launched a new funding call under Investment Area 6.1 - Strategic Planning and Engagement. This investment area is directed towards enhancing cross-border cooperation to address obstacles that impact cross-border socio-economic fluidity and more generally the reconciliation process throughout the Island. A total value of €18 million has been allocated to this call. Applications must be received no later than 5pm on Thursday 15th May 2025 . The SEUPB will not accept applications after this date. Learn more: https://www.seupb.eu/peaceplus/overview/themes-and-investment-areas/theme-6/61-strategic-planning-and-engagement If organisations are interested in pursing an application/ collaborating with Irish partners, the Scotland National Contact is Caroline Coleman and her role is to support Scottish applications through the development planning and submission of the application. Caroline can be contacted on caroline.coleman@scotent.co.uk or 07763899541. If you liked this story, you'll love our newsletter! Get more stories like this, along with exclusive insights and updates, delivered straight to your inbox.

On Thursday, 13 March 2025, the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI), alongside partners the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and Simon Community Scotland, proudly hosted a Scottish Parliament reception to celebrate the impact of the Digital Lifelines Scotland programme. The event was sponsored by Clare Haughey MSP and supported by a range of third-sector organisations. The evening followed a timely mention of Digital Lifelines Scotland in a parliamentary debate on Health and Social Care Innovation. During the debate, Ms Haughey praised the programme as “a fantastic example of the powerful manner in which digital inclusion and digital services can be enabled to support individuals.” Held at the Scottish Parliament, the event brought together around 100 guests for an evening of discussion, learning, and shared ambition. DHI was honoured by the attendance of Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Mr Neil Gray, who offered encouraging remarks and showed strong interest in the work being done. Ministers and MSPs in attendance also engaged with the stories and statistics shared throughout the evening. Following opening remarks from Ms Haughey, attendees heard from DHI’s Moira Mackenzie and Margaret Whoriskey, who presented the background and progress of Digital Lifelines. To date, the programme has supported over 5,500 people, distributing over 3,200 devices and 3,800 data packages. Crucially, more than 500 staff and volunteers have been trained as Digital Champions to offer continued support in their communities. The second half of the evening highlighted the programme’s real-world impact. Vari MacFadzean from Harbour Ayrshire shared a powerful personal story of transformation, representing the work of 35 organisations that received Digital Lifelines Scotland funding. Claire Longmuir of Simon Community Scotland spoke passionately about placing lived experience at the heart of service design, while David McNeill (SCVO) reflected on the wider system-level influence of the initiative and the vision for future growth. Exhibitions during the event further showcased the creativity and impact of the programme. SCVO presented creative works from participants, and Simon Community Scotland demonstrated the By My Side app, now supporting hundreds of people daily with access to vital services and information. DHI also welcomed NHS Fife and partners involved in the Chief Scientist Office’s Reducing Drug Deaths Innovation Challenge, highlighting the ongoing role of digital innovation in harm reduction. As the evening concluded, DHI and its partners reaffirmed their commitment to growing and sustaining Digital Lifelines Scotland, with hopes to expand its reach and continue supporting some of Scotland’s most vulnerable individuals through digital inclusion. If you liked this story, you'll love our newsletter! Get more stories like this, along with exclusive insights and updates, delivered straight to your inbox.

Developing a national harm reduction app to enhance digital support for people with lived experience of substance use. Background Digital Lifelines is a portfolio of work funded by the Scottish government which aims to help people with lived experience of substance use (PWLE) through digital inclusion outreach and the development of digital products. In the first stages of the work, the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI) was involved in interviewing PWLE on their experience of services  that support them, and the challenges and obstacles that they faced. DHI then took over leadership of the programme in 2023. Digital Lifelines recently won an award  at Holyrood Connect for our work on digital inclusion. Need for a national app In our conversations with services across Scotland, we found that many areas were looking at creating harm reduction apps which can support PWLE by giving helpful information and signposting to relevant services. Based on this, we identified a need for a national harm reduction app. This would:   Eliminate duplication of effort caused by local councils each trying to create their own services Focus available resources on creating the best possible app using evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches Ensure consistency for PWLE, particularly those who might be moving between council areas   However, it was difficult for stakeholders to come together and agree what a national app might look like or how it might function. Provocative exploration We developed a set of digital prototypes to explore concepts for the national app in terms of features and functionality. The purpose of this exercise was to use the available research and product development which had already been done through Digital Lifelines to create a set of relevant and provocative ideas which could help focus stakeholder conversations. The scope had to be something which could be achieved using minimal resources for maximum impact, as funding and time were limited.   To understand what PWLE might want from a national app, we carried out:   Background research of work done by Digital Lifelines and other researchers worldwide (but particularly in Scotland) on what PWLE want and how they use digital services Technical audit of Digital Lifelines products and other relevant services to understand what features and functionality might be important Review of third-sector reports on digital services aimed at PWLE and their use   From our initial conversations with Digital Lifelines stakeholders, we already knew that professionals were most interested in incorporating RADAR alerts  (which warn about dangerous substances in circulation) and having a more complete, easy-to-maintain service directory. We worked with the ALLIANCE to explore how ALISS  could be incorporated into the app to reduce effort by having a single, national source of data for service listings.   Once the initial research had been completed, we used Spotify’s Thoughtful Execution  framework to map out our background research and previous product development done by others. Thoughtful Execution map of previous research By correlating these to various “How might we…?” questions, we were able to clearly see what areas had already been explored through other work. This helped to identify what was already known (or unknown) about what PWLE wanted from digital services and products, and what areas were working well. Initial wireframes of a combined app Partial screenshot of the annotated walkthrough in Miro From this, we started to develop wireframes showing how these services could be combined into a single app. After obtaining feedback, these were further developed into an annotated walkthrough on Miro  (a collaborative workspace) which could be used to support stakeholder discussions.   Focus on By My Side After reviewing the initial concepts, Digital Lifelines decided to focus on expanding Simon Community’s By My Side  app. By My Side was an obvious choice because it was already being developed through Digital Lifelines, it used an evidence-based approach, and it had been co-produced with PWLE. A great deal of work had already been done by Simon Community on tailoring the language and experience to make it as supportive and respectful as possible for PWLE’s needs. This also meant that we could take advantage of Simon Community’s highly engaged co-production group for feedback. Technically speaking, BMS is a web app built on a CMS (content management system), meaning that it could be integrated with ALISS and continue to be easily updated in future. The original version of the app had been designed primarily for women , a group who tend to be under-catered to harm reduction. Initially, there was some concern that expanding the focus of the app might reduce the available support for women. However, Simon Community’s co-production group indicated that they were happy to see the benefits of the app shared with others.   By My Side had been developed for Simon Community by AND Digital , who rejoined the project to discuss and agree on what new features would be added to prepare the app for national use. Simon Community also had a lot of ideas from their previous work on how they would like to see the service extended. Together, we agreed on three priority areas for development:   Highly prominent display of RADAR alerts, which warn citizens about dangerous batches of drugs in circulation Functionality that would allow users to personalise their experience of the app by tailoring the content to them (allowing women to continue to find relevant content easily) Searchable, location-based service directory through integration with ALISS’s service database   Screenshot of the updated By My Side app, showing a map of Simon Community’s access hub in Glasgow One of the challenges we faced was that many PWLE have very low levels of digital literacy and access. They are also (justifiably) wary of sharing their information online. Setting up the ability for users to create accounts would also take more development time. We therefore decided to use content filtering to personalise the app experience rather than having a log-in system for users, as this option was the most technically feasible and the most acceptable to users. After a period of collaborative development sprints, it’s exciting to see the updated app being rolled out for national use. Hopefully, services and PWLE across Scotland will be able to take advantage of what this has to offer. What’s next? From this work, we learned a lot about what services and PWLE want from digital services and got a chance to collaborate with other groups in Scotland to make something that everyone can benefit from. We’re planning to carry these learnings forward into DHI’s other work which aims to help support PWLE. However, we also learned that there was little research which asked open questions about what PWLE want from digital services, rather than starting with a set idea for testing. In future, we hope to be able to explore these questions more with PWLE communities. We hope that new projects and programmes of work will provide the opportunity for Digital Lifelines to develop By My Side further and identify how the service could be adopted more widely.   Try out the By My Side app:   https://bymyside.simonscotland.org/ Authors: Marissa Cummings and Gabriele Rossi are designers and researchers with the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre Stay updated on the latest news, events & funding opportunities across the digital health and social care sector!

Moray, Scotland  – A major new initiative aimed at transforming mental health research and community well-being will launch with a special event on Tuesday, 25th March 2025, in Elgin. Photo by Alexander Williamson. The Collaboration for Mental Wealth in Moray is a Community Research Network (CRN) hosted by Moray Wellbeing Hub that brings together local people and organisations to co-create solutions that truly reflect the needs of Moray’s communities. This initiative is made possible through £1M funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Young Foundation, which are supporting innovative community-led research projects that address social challenges. Their investment ensures that research is shaped by and for the people who need it most, and the network in Moray is the only network in Scotland funded as part of 9 innovative networks across the UK. This initiative is a collaborative effort involving key partners such as the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI) Rural Centre of Excellence, Moray Art Development Engagement (MADE), tsiMORAY, Science Ceilidh, Arrows (a Quarriers service), and The Three Kings Cullen Association. These organisations have come together to drive change and reframe mental health with Moray’s communities. Heidi Tweedie, Social Movement and Enterprise Lead, Moray Wellbeing Hub CIC, said: “As community members with our own experiences of life challenges, we’re striving to ensure community voices are heard in deciding how local change happens – and in a way that benefits ourselves and those we care about. This event provides an opportunity for anyone intrigued by the term ‘mental wealth’ or by the idea of community-led research to come along. You don't need any prior experience, and if you face a barrier in attending, let us know. this includes young people who are very welcome.” For those unable to attend in person, the event will have elements recorded and made available on the website. All interested are encouraged to sign up to the Collaboration for Mental Wealth in Moray mailing list for updates. Event Highlights Date & time:  25 March 2025, 18:30 Location:  Laichmoray Hotel The event is free, but registration is essential: https://mentalwealthmoray.org.uk/ The event will introduce the network’s mission, share key findings from community engagement activities, and explore opportunities for collaboration. Attendees will hear about opportunities, including becoming peer-researchers, to shape research that directly benefits their community and well-being. Why This Matters Community-led research: Shaping mental health solutions based on real-life experiences. Collaboration & partnership: Bringing together diverse voices for greater impact. Turning research into action: Ensuring findings lead to meaningful change in policies and services. The launch is an opportunity for everyone, whether individuals, groups or local organisations, to get involved in shaping the future of mental wellbeing in Moray. For more information, to register for the event, or to join the Community Research Network, visit:  https://mentalwealthmoray.org.uk Subscribe to the DHI e-newsletter Stay updated on the latest news, events & funding opportunities across the digital health and social care sector!

Supporting digital transformation and independent living in Moray Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre has appointed   Archangel   as development partner for a pioneering Technology Enabled Care (TEC) project in Moray. This research and development (R&D) project will develop and test a toolkit of devices that enable person-centred prescribing from a range of telehealth, telecare and ambient monitoring devices within an existing home. These will then be integrated into the Archangel platform for data collation and analysis. The project, delivered under the Smart Housing Smart Communities living lab , will involve the testing and evaluation of a personalised, proactive and predictive monitoring service pathway for citizens and health and care services in Moray. It forms part of an integrated health, social care and housing R&D digital transformation programme, which is being delivered by the DHI’s  Rural Centre of Excellence , a £5m project funded by the UK Government as part of the  Moray Growth Deal . Archangel will directly support this project by contributing to R&D activity that could potentially extend the Moray Lifeline Service ( MLL ) which provides telecare equipment and support to individuals across the region, especially older and vulnerable people, and enables them to live independently in their own homes. With the analogue switch-off scheduled for January 2027, many Moray residents currently rely on telecare systems that will soon become obsolete. The project will assist in the migration of users to digital systems and explore new ways of capturing health and wellbeing data to deliver early intervention and more personalised care services. The partnership with Archangel will allow MLL to choose from a wide range of unobtrusive sensor-based technologies and devices that are all tailored to support the individual’s needs and are seamlessly integrated into Archangel’s cutting-edge Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) platform. By using Archangel’s AAL platform, which applies AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning models, care providers will gain new insights into residents' daily routines. This will enable early intervention and more personalised care, from supported living and fall prevention to proactive property management. The project has the potential to empower individuals to take a more active role in managing their own health and well-being by linking data insights from Archangel into the Community Connections platform and Personal Data Store (PDS), where people can securely view and share their health data, access support and self-refer to services. Ultimately, the project contributes to the ambition to shift from legacy telecare services in Moray and lays the foundation for future advancements in connected health, social care and housing throughout Scotland and further afield. Marie Simpson (DHI) commented: "Having worked with Archangel on several health and social care projects in the northeast of Scotland, we know their capabilities and what they bring to initiatives like the Rural Centre of Excellence R&D work. The partnership allows us to showcase cutting-edge data solutions and IoT (internet of things) technology to unlock the full potential of smart housing by tackling the long-standing challenge of fragmented, siloed data across health, care and social housing.   “With a clear need for a unified system approach, DHI is investing in solutions that integrate services seamlessly and empower individuals with personalised care and improved outcomes.” Lorna Bernard from Moray Council said:   “The analogue switch-off presents challenges, but DHI and Archangel’s involvement will help to develop, test and evaluate new solutions to enable delivery of a future-proof digital platform with solutions that don’t just replace outdated systems but transform care for vulnerable people living rurally across Moray. “It will demonstrate that a fully customisable and unobtrusive monitoring system is workable across a huge range of devices and sensors, providing tailored support for individual needs, from falls detection and activities of daily living monitoring to proactive property and environmental management." Brian Brown, Director of Business Development at Archangel, explained: “This project represents a significant milestone in our mission to turn complex data into actionable insights. The DHI’s commitment to breaking down data silos and delivering truly personalised care perfectly aligns with our vision by utilising our expertise in AI-driven analytics and digital integration. “We welcome the opportunity of collaboration with other partners and the consolidation of knowledge and research to realise the vision of an integrated health, social care and housing system.” For more information, visit:   www.archangel.cloud

We were proud to celebrate the winners of the #DigiInventors Challenge Secondary School Edition at the Holyrood Connect Digital Health & Care Scotland 2025 event. Since its inception, the #DigiInventors Challenge has empowered hundreds of young people, equipping them with digital and entrepreneurial skills, creative thinking, and the confidence to address pressing health challenges in their communities. ​ In 2024, participants were tasked with a unique challenge: using digital technology and e-gaming to reimagine the game of field hockey. The aim was to boost physical activity, increase participation, and enhance the well-being of young people. Teams were encouraged to incorporate ideas that also had a positive environmental impact, with extra points awarded for concepts supporting net carbon zero goals. Out of 182 students, EvoGrip emerged as the winning team. After four years of dedication to the challenge, the Scottish winners from Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh captured the judges’ attention with their truly innovative solution. EvoGrip is a smart hockey stick grip designed to promote a healthy, active lifestyle while enhancing performance on the field. Key features include: Detailed Analytics: Providing insights into performance. Wireless Data Transfer: Enabling seamless sharing of performance data. Solar-Powered Battery: Offering sustainable power. Friendly Competition and Goal-Setting: Inspiring players to improve their game while enjoying the sport. Watch their winning showreel: Congratulations to the team for their hard work, creativity, and perseverance! Learn more about the #DigiInventors challenge : https://www.digiinventors.com/ Get Involved If you would like to learn more about the #DigiInventors Challenge or explore ways to support future editions, please get in touch with Grant Reilly , Head of Marketing and Communications at the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre.

Killer question: Does data hold the key to solving historic gender inequality in cardiovascular healthcare in Scotland – and around the world A pioneering partnership between the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI) and Research Data Scotland (RDS) will help address long-standing gender inequality in Scotland’s approach to cardiovascular healthcare by harnessing the power of data.  Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for women in Scotland, claiming twice as many lives as breast cancer. Despite this, women continue to face significant disparities in diagnosis, treatment, and aftercare when compared to men.   Fran McIntyre, a fit and healthy 49-year-old executive director from Edinburgh, suffered an unexpected heart attack aged 44 in 2021, which doctors initially dismissed as anxiety. Incredibly, the mother-of-two was about to discharge herself and order a takeaway from her phone when doctors told her she was having a heart attack.  “I had no idea I was having a heart attack,” Ms McIntyre said. “Even in hospital, they thought I was fine until blood tests showed otherwise. After being discharged, I was given aspirin and left to get on with it – there was no follow-up care or ongoing support.” The experience described by Ms McIntyre reflects wider issues across the UK – and globally – highlighted by the 2019 Bias and Biology report by the British Heart Foundation, which revealed that women face poorer outcomes at every stage of cardiovascular care. Women are more likely to have their symptoms dismissed as anxiety or heartburn and may have up to six times as many appointments as men before receiving an appropriate referral. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) between DHI and RDS seeks to address these inequalities by supporting academic research and digital health innovation that will help raise the quality and value in women’s health and care data. It is hoped the new partnership will address current data gaps for women's cardiovascular health and drive digital innovation in detection, treatment and care. “Women’s cardiovascular health has historically been overlooked due to data gaps and systemic biases,” explained Dr Abigail Lyons, an expert in women’s health at DHI. “This is not a challenge unique to Scotland, but by leveraging the nation’s robust health data infrastructure, we aim to close these gaps and develop targeted interventions that improve diagnosis, treatment, and aftercare for women. We hope that what we learn can be rolled out for the benefit of other nations too.” Scotland’s role as a leader in approaches to women’s health is well established. In 2021, the nation became the first in the UK to publish a Women’s Health Plan and appoint a Women’s Health Champion, Professor Anna Glasier. Measures like the High-Sensitivity Troponin Test, pioneered by Professor Nicholas Mills of NHS Lothian and the University of Edinburgh, have already improved heart attack detection for women. However, Dr Lyons emphasised that more needs to be done. “We are at the beginning of a long journey, she said. “Systemic change is required, but Scotland’s commitment to prioritising women’s health places us in a strong position to lead the way.” Key challenges include addressing the underrepresentation of women in clinical trials, improving awareness of cardiovascular risk among women, and ensuring that healthcare innovations do not exacerbate existing inequalities. The partnership will also explore how women can gain greater agency over their health data and decisions. Ms McIntyre, who is now completely fit and healthy and has had no symptoms or issues since, said that whilst her own experience of inequality was not as extreme as others, she has hope that through continued work such as the DHI-RDS partnership, the inequality gap can be closed in future.  “The fact that we know there’s an issue gives me hope,” she said. “Initiatives like this partnership are exactly the kind of innovation we need. I don’t want other women to go through what I did without the support they deserve.” By combining data-driven insights with Scotland’s tradition of collaboration and innovation, the DHI-RDS partnership aims to make Scotland a global leader in addressing inequalities in women’s cardiovascular health care.  The benefits of the partnership extend beyond women’s cardiovascular health, with wide-reaching objectives in supporting data strategy, information sharing, communications, signposting and engagement with relevant organisations; developing collaborative projects which enhance Scotland’s digital and data infrastructure; and identifying relevant funding and investment opportunities. The partnership also seeks to encourage and facilitate collaboration opportunities where they are of mutual interest, initially through the Women’s Health Data Exemplar work and Aim4All Phase 2 project, which aims to enhance data collection for evaluating new healthcare products in Scotland. Layla Robinson, Chief Partnership and Strategy Officer at RDS, said: “Data is a powerful tool, and Research Data Scotland is working to make it faster and simpler for researchers to access public sector data, like health and gender, to enable insights and better evidence-based decisions.  “Partnership working is central to what we do and we’re excited to be working with DHI to help address gaps in research and improve outcomes for people across Scotland.”    Moira McKenzie , Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Innovation at DHI, said: “DHI occupies a unique and visible position at the vanguard of research and digital innovation in Scotland's growing digital health and care sector. We are delighted to collaborate with Research Data Scotland and cross-sectoral partners to demonstrate how digital innovation and data sharing can deliver citizen and system benefits for many such health challenges, not just in Scotland but across the world.” To learn more about RDS, visit: https://www.researchdata.scot/ Stay updated on the latest news, events & funding opportunities across the digital health and social care sector!

The Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI) has reinforced its position as a global expert in digital health and social care through its appointment to the Board of Directors for the European Health Telematics Association (EHTEL).  EHTEL is a unique pan-European multidisciplinary stakeholder platform, bringing together organisations and individuals engaged in all aspects of eHealth. It is well placed, in the heart of Europe, to bring together the voices of European stakeholder groups and provide concrete insights into European policy.  EHTEL’s distinctive structure enables the exchange of ideas, opportunities and knowledge with a community of 5,000 digital health and care experts and innovators. It does that through webinars  and  projects, leading to innovation in the delivery of eHealth solutions and the transformation of health and social care.  DHI’s Director of Planning & Performance, Janette Hughes, will bring a wealth of expertise, a fresh perspective and leadership to help shape the new strategic direction in this dynamic, new phase for EHTEL. Moving forward, EHTEL is committed to emphasising the critical contribution and importance of digital health implementers to the digital transformation of health and care systems.  On her appointment, Janette Hughes said:  “I’m delighted to be appointed to the EHTEL Board of Directors. With digital technology playing an ever-increasing role in health and social care systems, we must work together across nations to achieve scale. EHTEL plays an important role in bringing together key stakeholders and the platform to do this effectively. I’m excited to represent DHI and the fantastic work that Scotland”  Janette has over 20 years of experience in Design, Innovation, Economic Development and Programme Management.  She has focused the last ten years on Digital Health and Wellness, leading various high-profile innovation projects in Scotland, including the Wellness and Health Innovation Project, and over the last 5 years, she has been involved with two major Innovate UK-backed programmes:  Future city demonstrator (Glasgow) where she assisted in the development of a City Observatory that harnessed the power of data for City challenges (some of which related to Health and well-being)  The Scottish DALLAS programme, which pioneered a Digital wellness platform and applications in Scotland  Janette has undertaken many international keynote presentations on this subject and has led numerous trade missions to Japan, the USA, India and throughout Europe.  She has a thorough understanding of this sector and how service, technical and business innovation and readiness levels need to merge and connect to benefit stakeholders.  In addition, Janette is:   Chair of the Digital Working Group for All Policies for a Healthy Europe  Chair of the UKTIN Health & Care Working Group  Scottish Government Digital Capability Advisory Group Member  Remote & Rural Health & Care Strategic Board Member  Scottish Lead for the UK & Ireland HIMSS Steering Group  Stay updated on the latest news, events & funding opportunities across the digital health and social care sector!

This Preliminary Market Consultation notice is intended to help buyers potentially source or create innovative goods, works or services for the public sector in Scotland. Abstract: Adequate housing in rural Scotland is a major obstacle to economic growth, contributing to depopulation, a loss of skilled workers, and stagnating local economies. This housing crisis has become a key issue. This presents a significant opportunity for innovation in the delivery of homes, particularly in terms of their suitability, adaptability, and long-term sustainability. The University’s Digital Health and Care Innovation Centre (DHI), in partnership with Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST) and Moray Council as part of the Moray Growth Deal (MGD), is inviting expressions of interest to develop a low-carbon, smart home. The project will utilise modern methods of construction (MMC) and focus on digital solutions for independent living, with a particular emphasis on addressing the needs of remote and rural communities. The project aims to develop and deliver a 2-bedroom, innovative, and connected home on an innovation plot (within Moray) designed to be a sustainable, high-quality home that meets people’s evolving needs and aspirations throughout the course of their/ their family’s life. The purpose of this notice is to identify individual organisations, groups of organisations or consortia able to deliver either one or both of the undernoted key components. It should be noted that whilst the outline below represents the current intended approach, the purpose of this notice is to commence dialogue with the market(s) to gain a fuller understanding of possibilities and opportunities. Any procurement activity undertaken by DHI following this initial engagement shall be subject of a future contract notice with which will outline specific requirements. Construction of 2-bedroom home: This will be an exemplary, innovative, affordable home that is highly sustainable; reduces embodied and operational carbon and reliance on the national grid; enhances biodiversity and fits in with the vision for the rest of the site. The building materials and method of construction is a key consideration which must consider whole life carbon of the design and construction. Careful consideration must be given to material choices and technology with a preference of the utilisation of local supply chains. It is envisaged that the home will be designed and fitted out to minimise day to day running costs. Digital innovation technology: This project will require Digital innovations that integrate with and complement the building fabric, this shall be a key requirement, the early indicative project scope suggests that technologies should be considered to generate data to monitor and optimise the building’s performance and the occupant’s wellbeing, activity, and independent daily living within its environment. These technologies should be targeted at enabling the monitoring of safety, security, health and wellbeing of the residents. The outcome of the digital innovation element must promote independent living, focus on prevention and early intervention to promote health and wellbeing, and produce a high-quality scalable product. Data generated by digital devices (integrated into the fabric of the build is preferred) will be collected and made readily accessible to the occupier and their family/carers as well as in a format that can be shared with external agencies with appropriate consents. Consideration should be given as to the benefits of including digital fit out as part of the construction process as well as retrofitting. Collation and analysis of the generated data will be included in a separate upcoming ITT and will be managed in parallel to create an end-to-end solution. Notice Information: This Preliminary Market Consultation notice is intended to help buyers potentially source or create innovative goods, works or services for the public sector in Scotland. It is NOT a regulated procurement notice and is NOT an intention to procure goods, services, or works at this point. Before commencing appropriate procurement activity, buyers may consider it appropriate to conduct market consultation. Within an innovation context this can be helpful when seeking or accepting advice from independent experts, authorities or from market participants. It can also be important to consult market participants when assessing the development of the market and planning subsequent potential procurement processes. Where 'contract' and 'procurement' is referenced in the Notice, this refers to the Consultation and NOT a contract or procurement. Where the deadline for the expression of interest is referenced in the Notice, this refers to the deadline for the supplier's full response to the PMC. Reference No: JAN522875 OCID: ocds-r6ebe6-0000788909 Published by: University of Strathclyde Publication Date: 30/01/2025 Deadline Date: 27/02/2025 Deadline Time: 12:00 Notice Type: 04 Preliminary Market Consultation - Innovation Has Documents: No Has SPD: No If you are unable to access the link, the notice is available as a PDF below: Learn more: Two virtual Q&A sessions, hosted on Friday 14 February, as part of the innovative Smart Housing Smart Communities project in Moray offered a fantastic opportunity for interested industry providers to engage with the project team, learn more about the initiative, and explore ways to collaborate. Recordings of both sessions and a Frequently Asked Questions document can be found under RCE events and resources here: https://www.dhi-scotland.com/rce-moray-hub

We are proud to announce that Digital Lifelines Scotland has been awarded the Digital Inclusion Award at the Holyrood Connect Awards 2025. This recognition highlights the project's significant impact on improving digital access and reducing drug-related harm across Scotland. Working in collaboration with the Digital Health and Care Innovation Centre (DHI), Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) , and the Simon Community Scotland , the programme has: Supported 4,500 people  at risk of drug harm to become digitally included. Distributed 3,000 devices  and 3,600 connections  (SIM cards and MiFi devices). Upskilled 489 staff and volunteers  through the Digital Harm Reduction Champion  scheme, ensuring digital inclusion is embedded across services. Digital Lifelines Scotland has brought together 35 organisations  across Scotland to tackle digital exclusion among people at risk of drug-related harm Beyond digital access, Digital Lifelines Scotland co-designs innovative solutions, including harm reduction apps, virtual support services, and online therapeutic consultations, ensuring that individuals have the support they need when it matters most. The DLS team is eager to build on this momentum. Subject to new funding, the next phase of the programme will focus on a place-based approach - working more closely with local communities to deepen impact and better meet individual and organisational needs. By strengthening community connections and further embedding digital inclusion, the programme aims to deliver lasting change for people, services, and the wider sector. A fantastic accomplishment that highlights the hard work and collaboration of everyone involved. Learn more about Digital Lifelines Scotland

(DHI) Moira Mackenzie - AgendaNI  Annual Digital Government Report . Read the publication: Research and innovation in Scotland’s digital health and care ecosystem is about “ supporting an environment which identifies, designs, and gets digital solutions ready for adoption by the other parts of Scotland’s health and care system ”, says Digital Health and Care Innovation Centre’s (DHI) Moira Mackenzie . For over 30 years’ Mackenzie has been leading complex transformational change developments, enabled by digital within health, housing and care environments. DHI was established in 2013, and is a world leading collaboration between the Glasgow School of Art (GSA) and the University of Strathclyde. As deputy Chief Executive Office, and Director of Innovation at DHI, Mackenzie leads senior stakeholder engagement, design, finance, communications and marketing functions to identify collaborative health and care opportunities where DHI can add the most value from its expertise in digitally enabled research and innovation. She emphasises that research and innovation in Scotland’s digital health and care system can help deliver, sustainable services, develop future skills, help Scotland’s people live longer and healthier lives, help treat people with serious health issues (such as drug addictions), and enables the economy to meet global needs. “DHI is part of a flourishing health and care ecosystem in Scotland, which involves many organisations and actors,” explains Mackenzie. “There is a huge enthusiasm and commitment to introduce and expand digital solutions, as we are convinced that this is crucial to ensuring our health and care services are sustainable in a rapidly changing world. “This bubbling enthusiasm is tempered by the recognition that to realise greatest impact and meaningful change, we need to work together coherently, applying different skills and experience as part of a whole system approach.  Although this remains a work in progress, we are improving rapidly.” DHI is funded by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and while it is hosted by the University of Strathclyde and the GSA, Mackenzie emphasises that it is “very much a national organisation”. Mackenzie states that she is not a “digital native”, but is comfortable to act as a proxy for people working in health and care services citing: “If I get it, and I understand where digital can make a real difference, I feel I can translate that effectively for service delivery colleagues as well.” DHI’s priorities The focus of DHI’s research and innovation is about “supporting an environment which identifies, designs, and gets digital solutions ready for adoption by the other parts of Scotland’s health and care system”. Having secured ongoing infrastructure investment from the Scottish Funding Council, DHI were able to publish their 10-year strategy ‘Transforming Great Ideas into Real Solutions’ , which identifies how the organisation will continue to identify and develop digital solutions to better meet people’s needs. The strategy identifies the following 7 x Priority Action Areas ; 1.      Support the transformation of health and social care. 2.      Develop a digital and data infrastructure as national assets to de-risk innovation. 3.      Enhance Scotland’s connected ecosystem through cross sectoral innovation clusters. 4.      Develop a future skills pipeline which delivers workforce capabilities fit for Scotland’s future. 5.      Extend commercial engagement to support economic growth. 6.      Support health and care contribution to net zero. 7.      Enhance Scotland’s international reputation in research and innovation. Moreover, Mackenzie states: “Over the past 10 years, DHI have iteratively developed our innovation process model method, which underpins all of our activities and we have built a team which deliberately blends very different capabilities – programme management, skills development, technical ideation and prototyping, direct experience of health and care service delivery (our CEO was a GP), and participatory design expertise.”   Mackenzie adds: “Our partnership with the Glasgow School of Art has been instrumental in identifying and designing digital solutions to better meet people’s needs.” Digital Lifelines Scotland Mackenzie speaks passionately about one of DHI’s large scale programmes Digital Lifelines Scotland , a £3.1m 4 year programme funded by the Scottish Government which is designed to help address Scotland’s “unenviable position” of having the highest drug related deaths in Europe. She states that the Universities of Stirling and St Andrews initially carried out research to explore what digital solutions existed in the world that could support people living with drug related addictions. They found that there were not many or were in their infancy in terms of development. “The programme engaged with service providers and people with lived experiences to understand their individual challenges and seek their input about how digital might help them, and what key needs and challenges people living with drug addictions were trying to address in their lives,” Mackenzie explains. These insights then informed the first phase of the DLS programme with an associated evaluation carried out by Drugs Research Network Scotland and further enhanced by DHI’s Discover and Define Report , published in February 2023. This states: “People who use drugs want relationship-based services where they are an active decision maker and lived expertise is integrated at all levels. People need a ‘no wrong door’ approach where all services can be accessed through one point and there is timely and flexible access.” It also states that people need access to mental health support, and want a holistic approach to their support based on building confidence and routine. Furthermore, the report emphasises that services need to work with people to address underlying reasons for using drugs, exploring holistic and non-clinical formats of support and that services need to address stigma by embedding awareness through all services that engage with people who use drugs adding: “Services have opportunity to use digital solutions to enable sharing and joined up working and provide softer or flexible forms of access.” Finally, the reported urges for the need to support services to “enable integrated care that uses person centre, trauma informed and human rights-based approaches to support individuals on their own, unique journeys to living well”. The report also states the need to look at working across traditional services boundaries to enable collaboration and knowledge exchange learning around digitally enabled services. Mackenzie cites updated figures at the end of October 2024 from the delivery phase of the Digital Lifeline Scotland programme which shows that nearly 4,500 people have now been digitally included by the programme and that there are nearly 450 staff and volunteers upskilled in digital approaches. Mackenzie notes that the programme finds that many people living with drug addictions have little experience of using digital devices even if they have them, are unlikely to have reliable data connectivity due to affordability issues, effectively excluding them from many support services and family. In addition to DHI’s local Scottish collaborations, Mackenzie says that DHI is keen to collaborate with partners nationally and internationally, and that the example of the Digital Lifelines Scotland programme is featured within partnership bids with Northern Ireland as part of Peace Plus Programme proposals. View this publication on the AgendaNI website Read the AgendaNI Annual Digital Report

We are pleased to announce a call for proposals on two exciting funding opportunities. The Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI) are seeking proposals from colleges or universities to design, develop, and deliver modular training units that will support the emerging learning needs of the health and social care workforce in the Moray region as they manage changes associated with digital transformation at scale. The two funding calls are as follows: To increase the digital health and care knowledge and competencies of staff working with the exemplar smart housing initiative. It is envisaged that this module will comprise 2 units: An introductory course to increase the awareness and confidence of frontline staff around the role of digital technology in health and care delivery in Moray, and how this data is used in this context A more advanced course aimed at staff whose role involves prescribing digital technology and tools. Supporting health and care staff in developing design innovation skills, and skills and capabilities for change in a health and care context The successful academic institution(s) will ensure that all learning materials are made available under a CC BY-NC-SA Creative Commons license. We expect interested colleges or universities to provide us with a brief response document ( maximum 10 pages ) to each, clearly setting out their approach to these calls, with detail of associated costs. Learn more about the calls in the attached PDF:

Kajaani University of Applied Sciences (KAMK) , Finland, in collaboration with the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre, warmly invites you to a special webinar on the 13th February 2025. Join us from 15:30 to 17:30 ( Finnish time! ) or 13:30 to 15:30 ( GMT, UK time! ) for an engaging session focused on the use of digital technologies in the education of future health and social care professionals. As part of KAMK’s annual (W) international Festival, this webinar offers a unique opportunity to participate in a live remote simulation education session designed for nursing students in rural areas. Additionally, you'll have the chance to explore cutting-edge wound care training using Virtual Reality (VR) developed by KAMK: https://www.cleversimulation.com/wounded We are also excited to welcome speakers from Edinburgh College , invited by DHI, who will showcase the innovative use of VR in Dementia Care training for healthcare professionals in Scotland: https://www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk/facilities-and-services/learning-facilities/digital-care-hub How to join: To receive a Teams link to join the webinar, please email taina.romppanen@kamk.fi with the subject line "Please, send me a Teams link for the KAMK-DHI webinar" Please note, there may be a delay in receiving the link, as the process is not automated. Don't miss this chance to be part of an inspiring and informative event. We look forward to seeing you there! Agenda: UK Time Finnish Time Duration Item Who 13:30 15:30 15 mins Welcome and Introductions KAMK & DHI 13:45 15:45 25 mins  Remote Simulation KAMK Team 14:10 16:10 10 mins Comfort Break 14:20 16:20 20 mins WoundED VR Game KAMK Team 14:40 16:40 30 mins VR Dementia Hub Edinburgh College 15:10 17:10 20 mins Q&A / Discussion and next steps All 15:30 17:30 ENDS Thank You All

In this blog Chaloner Chute and Dr Tara French share the first of a series of scenarios developed from the outputs of co-design on the future of digital health and social care.   The ‘Digital Imagination’ series presents a collection of experience-led scenarios resulting from co-design and innovation projects in Scotland. The scenarios articulate the potential of digital in future health and social care – including the value, impact and implications on future interactions and experiences. Each scenario involves 3 composite ‘stories’ told from different perspectives of people across the health and social care landscape. The stories are presented in the style of a structured and unstructured persona to depict key challenges and opportunities. Through a scenario, we show how the stories interact and the interdependencies between needs and capabilities. What is a composite story? Composite stories are a technique used to reflect the experiences of different people in a single story. In this work, the stories have been created from lived experience co-design work involving people with different experiences of accessing and providing care and support in Scotland. In the first blog of the series we share a scenario focusing on a future virtual clinic using a dermatology example. The scenario includes stories from: a person with a routine need, a specialist working in a hospital setting and an industry software developer working on new digital health and care tools. You can read the full paper on the scenario and stories for a future virtual clinic here . The composite stories were created from the insights and concepts emerging from DHI funded co-design projects including the Modern Outpatient , Diabetes , AI dermatology work; projects funded through the Scottish Access Collaborative. Previous work has also identified a set of common ‘user requirements’ for person-centred digital care which articulate needs from the perspectives of people accessing and people providing care and support ( Chute, French, Raman, Bradley 2022 ). The digital dermatology scenario meets the needs of: User requirement for person-centred digital care Dermatology scenario (people with a routine need perspective) Trust in how others use my personal information When the GP takes a picture of part of my body, and I can consent for its use by a dermatologist (primary use) and for it to be used for research and development by the industry software developer (secondary use). Have an ongoing dialog with professionals outside of formal appointments, allowing me to ask questions on my own terms When a dermatologist gets in touch to discuss my needs, without me having to attend an appointment. This means I have the time and space to focus on what I need and communicate this effectively. Help me and the individual understand their condition better through the joint recording of, and access to, personal symptoms, triggers, medications, and test results When I can take, view, and share my own pictures and symptom diary to help both of us track the progress of my treatment. A dermatologist can help more people in this way, assisted by data-driven tools developed by the industry software developer. This approach shows the interrelationship across the stories and networked opportunities for digital health and care. The scenario helps us understand the data journey and how a whole system design can better meet the different needs surfaced through each story. What do the stories and scenarios mean to you? The Digital Imagination series helps people to imagine and design person-centred ‘digital’ care. The collection of scenarios and stories have been created based on a range of engagement and co-design projects. These have involved people with experience of accessing support for their health and wellbeing, people working across health and social care, and wider stakeholders across organisational sectors, academia, industry, and policy. The series has been created for people involved in digital health and care. ·For people accessing care and support the scenarios and stories can help to imagine what a digital future could look like and how person-centred digital care can be achieved. ·For people providing care and support the scenarios and stories can help to imagine how digital could be integrated in service design and provision, enabling joined up approaches to working leading to positive and efficient working experiences. For people trying to improve the system the scenarios and stories give insight into how future policy and projects can be better designed to achieve impact. To share your reflections or find out more – please contact: Chal.chute@dhi-scotland.com and tara.french@gov.scot Scenario and Stories Illustration Credit: Tessa Mackenzie

We are thrilled to announce that Digital Lifelines Scotland has been shortlisted for the Digital Inclusion Award   at Holyrood Connects Digital Health and Care Awards 2025. Digital Lifelines Scotland  addresses the unacceptable number of drug-related deaths in Scotland by improving health outcomes for people at risk of drug harm through digital inclusion and co-designed digital solutions. By working in partnership with organisations such as the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and Simon Community Scotland , the programme ensures that individuals have access to devices, connectivity, and digital skills. Since its inception, the programme has supported over 4,357 individuals  at risk of drug harm, distributed 2,684 devices  and 3,304 connectivity solutions , and upskilled more than 444 staff and volunteers  through the Digital Harm Reduction Champion scheme. This initiative not only empowers individuals to stay connected with family and services but also enables them to access essential resources, such as healthcare, education, and financial management tools. We are honoured to be recognised for our efforts in promoting digital inclusion as a pathway to harm reduction and improved quality of life. View shortlisted organisations Testimonials Grassmarket Community Project “One of the most significant outcomes of the project is that people feel more in control of their health and well-being. With the support of a device, people can make their health appointments, search for jobs, and perform Internet banking independently without relying on workers for assistance. Organisations also reported that this led to increased staff capacity, as they no longer need to perform these tasks for the individuals they support.” Angus Drug and Alcohol Partnership “Providing devices to service users has made a significant difference in their lives. Access to treatment can be implemented more quickly, therefore improving health outcomes. Harm reduction advice can be provided to service users regularly via telephone contact”

Appointment of Chair - DHI (682986) DHI was set up in 2013 as part of Scotland's network of Innovation Centres and is in receipt of long-term infrastructure investment funding by the Scottish Funding Council . DHI brings together people and organisations engaged in the provision of health and social care as well as industry, academia, design research sectors and citizens to support the transformation of health and care services through the application of digital innovation. Hosted by the University of Strathclyde, DHl’s mission is to improve the delivery of health and care services for Scotland’s communities by creating people-centric solutions to deliver better patient outcomes, while also creating economic benefits through the development and exploitation of digital technology. We are seeking to appoint a new Chair for DHI who will provide leadership, vision and direction to the Board and contribute to DHI making Scotland a global leader in digital health and care innovation. The Chair will have a proven track record of working at the Board level and will have an in-depth knowledge of the challenges facing health and social care sectors in the UK and globally together with a thorough understanding of the current and evolving digital health and care research and industry sectors.  For informal enquiries please contact Professor George Crooks , CEO of the DHI, at george.crooks@dhi-scotland.com   How to Apply: In order to apply for this position, please email a detailed Curriculum Vitae (CV), along with a cover letter setting out your interest in the role and how your skills and experience match the person specification to Stephanie Lumb, HR Manager for the Faculty of Science at stephanie.lumb@strath.ac.uk by Sunday 9th February 2025. Details: Department : Computer and Information Sciences Closing date: 09/02/2025 Closing time: 23:59 Please click below for further details: Click here to: Meet Our Current Board Members

Glasgow-based technology firm Archangel has recently secured a share of a £600,000 Smart & Connected Social Places (SCSP) 5G Innovation fund, with the support of the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre, to deliver a groundbreaking integrated housing and care technology project in Biggar, South Lanarkshire. The scheme, for a retirement housing development, involves a partnership with DHI (Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre) and Bield Housing & Care and is one of eleven digital health and technology projects across the Glasgow City region to have benefited from the latest round of 5GIR (Innovation Regions) funding from the UK Government’s Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). Covering retired individuals within 25 homes, the ‘Evaluating care delivery in rural settings’ project will last six months and involves a range of unobtrusive sensors placed around the development and inside each individual’s home to monitor property and wellbeing conditions such as temperature, humidity and motion. The data is then relayed immediately to Archangel’s ambient assisted living (AAL) technology platform and automatically monitored 24/7 to proactively address any potential issues that might arise in relation to the tenants or their living conditions. The sensors are connected via Angelnet, the Archangel certified partner, resilient connectivity network, with the data then becoming available to all stakeholders via the Archangel platform. Angelnet includes broadband, mobile and wireless LoRaWAN (Low power long range wide area network) connecting the IoT (Internet of Things) sensors within the properties and communal areas to provide a resilient, scalable and future-fit solution for housing and care by enabling wider connectivity. Janette Hughes, Director of Planning & Performance  at the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre, who alerted Archangel to the funding opportunity, added: “This is ultimately about making housing safer and more responsive to personal circumstances for communities and allowing people to live happier, longer and more secure lives in their own properties. It is fantastic to see a Scottish business securing this type of funding as our role as a national Innovation Centre is to support research and innovation in digital health and social to help the people of Scotland live longer, healthier lives while supporting businesses access new funding and business opportunities.” Tom Morton, Archangel’s CEO and Founder, explained: “Data related to social housing, health, care and wellbeing is currently fragmented across multiple vendor systems and siloed datasets. This disjointed approach creates inefficiencies and hinders the large-scale adoption of IoT due to the costs associated with numerous single-purpose systems and the specialised skills required to manage them. It also weakens efforts to support integrated healthy, sustainable home initiatives. “This project showcases a smarter more cost-efficient approach to resolve these challenges using social housing data collection and presentation from multiple IoT (Internet of Things) devices via a unified communication infrastructure. It offers a single, holistic view of individuals and their home environments, allowing for collective decision-making and timely interventions,” added Tom. Gavin Wright, Head of Property Management at Bield Housing, commented: “This project enables us to explore IoT expansion as part of our digital strategy and aligns closely with the Smart Social Housing initiative which aims to tackle a major challenge in housing, health and social care: the fragmentation of data across disconnected systems.” Professor Soumen Sengupta, Director of Health and Social Care for South Lanarkshire, said: “A key objective of South Lanarkshire’s Local Housing Strategy is that people with particular needs are better supported to live independently within the community in a suitable, sustainable home. The integrated deployment of digital technologies will have an increasingly important role in this and I am looking forward to sharing the lessons learnt from this project across our local authority area, the wider Glasgow City Region and the country as a whole.”

With the level of drug related deaths (DRD) across the UK (and Scotland in particular) having reached crisis point, innovative solutions are being sought to address this challenge. This led to the establishment of Scotland’s Digital Inclusion for Drug Related Death Prevention Group - an inclusive network of non-commercial stakeholders – interested in exploring the opportunities of using Telehealthcare and digital technology to reduce drug related deaths (DRD). This collaborative network brings together a wealth of skills, experience and knowledge and comprises representatives from: Drugs Research Network Scotland (DRNS) Drug Deaths Taskforce Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI) NHS Lothian Scottish Government, Digital Health & Care Division Scottish Drugs Forum University of Stirling University of St Andrews Aberdeen City Alcohol and Drug Partnership “Collaborative innovation to address key health and social care challenges is central to our strategy in  Health Innovation SE Scotland . Drug related deaths are a clear priority and under-researched area given current trends and the links to social deprivation and inequality. This programme provides a real opportunity to improve care and support for people at risk of this tragic cause of death. The programme is an excellent fit for the collaborative working between academic, NHS, social care, and private sector partners which we believe can provide innovative solutions to improve the lives of our citizens.” [Professor Tim Walsh. Director of Research & Innovation NHS Lothian and HISES] Moira Mackenzie, Deputy CEO of the DHI advised “ innovative collaborations like this are invaluable in creating opportunities to utilise technological advances for societal good ”. Tele-healthcare “Telehealth involves the use of telecommunications and virtual technology to deliver health care outside of traditional health-care facilities.” [World Health Organisation] The last decade has seen considerable investment and interest in tele-healthcare solutions to supporting independent living for the frail, elderly and those with long term conditions such as diabetes and epilepsy. No bespoke product is yet commercially available in the UK for the detection of overdose and prevention of DRD.  However, there are several products with potential for the target population of people who use drugs. Vital signs monitoring Technology to monitor vital signs is an obvious application to consider. All opiates supress respiration.  In an overdose the rate of breathing falls such that there is insufficient oxygen in the blood to supply vital organs and the heart stops.  This effect will be accentuated if there has been ingestion of other sedatives such as benzodiazepines or alcohol. There are a few vital sign monitoring devices which are being tested and explored for DRD prevention.  The technologies involved include: Movement/accelerometers for gross motor movement Pulse oximetry which measures blood oxygen levels Heart rate monitors Electrodermal activity which measure skin temperature and sweating Respiration movement– using either sonar or radar Heart rate monitors These technologies are included in devices which can be worn as chest straps/arm monitors/wristband; finger sensors (blood oxygen) and patches that measure ECG and respiration. Challenges to using this technology Having a sufficiently quick response to emergency situations The increasing number of ageing people who use drugs and live alone There has been a rise (in Scotland) in cases in which benzodiazepines and gabapentinoids are implicated in DRD. This may alter the physiological manifestation and time between drug(s) being ingested and overdose effect Acceptability of any potential devices to the target population. Consultation with people with lived experience indicated some people may be wary about wearing any monitors in case of data sharing or police tracking Opportunities to using this technology The big technology companies who operate in the wearables and telehealth sector have not yet shown interest in this application of their technology.  Development thus far has been through small start-up and university spin-off companies but the time to secure the required approvals and licenses for new medical devices may be a barrier for bespoke DRD tele-healthcare devices in the UK. Using existing technologies provides an expedient opportunity if we are to harness the benefits of technology in our current DRD crisis. The Current Situation The types of tele-healthcare currently being tested or considered for people at risk of DRD are: Wearables –wristbands, patches, tags for DRD prevention Room monitors: smartphone apps, monitors for DRD prevention Alert Buttons for emergency response to DRD Smartphone apps for naloxone network emergency response Smartphone apps for information on overdose prevention Smart phone apps for recovery support Professor Catriona Matheson, Chair of the Drug Deaths Taskforce said,  “the application of technology in this area in Scotland is currently very limited and must be developed at pace to meet the challenge of reducing DRD.” Testing and implementing technological contributions to a reduction in DRD in a timely and effective manner will need buy-in from professionals working with people, technologists as well as policy makers. The Drugs Research Network Scotland (DRNS) are coordinating the development and testing of tele-healthcare via the Digital Inclusion for DRD prevention group. If you are keen to develop collaborations in this area, are involved or interested in testing or developing any such technology please get in touch . Blog author: Catriona Matheson, Health Research Consultant, Professor of Substance Use, University of Stirling

Karim Mahmoud , Commercial Innovation Lead, Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre Ask most people to tell you about the impact of research, and they’ll probably mention breakthroughs in medical treatments or cutting-edge advances in technology.    What many don’t realise is that the benefits are far more fundamental and far-reaching to ordinary people in everyday life – improving systems, driving change, and ensuring progress in areas that will never move forward without it.    It’s even more effective when communities themselves take the lead and invest in using co-design to shape future services and research.    Community-based research is an innovative approach and is already making a difference right here in Scotland to address one of the world’s most pressing issues – mental health.    Globally, more than one billion people are affected by mental health challenges, and Scotland is no exception. Close to £1 million is being invested to reframe the conversation around mental health from one of deficit and stigma to one of strength and connection – a concept of ‘Mental Wealth’. On the ground, The Collaboration for Mental Wealth in Moray could lead to tangible changes in services, transforming lives.   The Community Research Networks programme, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and delivered by The Young Foundation, is enabling communities to lead research and has funded a new network here in Scotland. Bringing together an impressive coalition of partners, the Collaboration for Mental Wealth in Moray , led by the Moray Wellbeing Hub CIC and co-founded by Scotland’s National Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre , will bring together a number of other local partners – including local peer researchers – to measure the impact of new approaches to mental health challenges and advance the concept of ‘Mental Wealth’.    This approach will ensure that the project remains rooted in the needs and strengths of the community and help drive the impact of this initiative not just for the local area – for people everywhere. Moray, with its diverse communities and landscapes – from rural hamlets to larger towns – is an ideal testing ground. In addition, the programme is capacity building for research, equipping local people with transferable skills in research methodologies, data collection, and analysis, and how to conduct community research. The resulting ripple effect strengthens the community’s resilience and equips it to address future challenges independently, while also creating employment through community researchers.   More importantly, this kind of initiative empowers individuals to take ownership of their community’s challenges and actively participate in solving them. It deepens trust and engagement, fostering a sense of agency that can sustain long-term progress. By reframing mental health as Mental Wealth, the project encourages a positive and inclusive dialogue, reducing stigma and fostering proactive engagement.   The Rural Centre of Excellence for Digital Health & Care Innovation is part of Scotland’s Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre and is based in Moray. Through this centre of excellence, DHI is driving innovation in health and social care and stimulating new ways of engagement in research and innovation and testing new concepts with the aim of scaling these to other regions in Scotland and beyond, putting Moray on the map as a hub of innovation and change for wellbeing. By advancing equitable forms of research and innovation, we are contributing to Scotland’s position as a global pioneer in innovation – a testament to the power of collaboration and the strength of the community.  Read the article: The Herald article can be found here

Exploring the Future of Digital Skills in Health and Care – Collaboration, Innovation, and Preparing the Next Generation The #DigiFest24 Skills Webinar , a satellite event of Scotland’s annual Digital Health and Care Fest, brought together experts to address the critical digital skills agenda in health and social care. Organised by the Digital Health and Care Innovation Centre (DHI)  in collaboration with partners, the session underscored the urgent need to build a digitally competent workforce to address ongoing challenges and future opportunities. The event began with an overview of the digital transformation in health and care, led by Fiona Bates  from the Scottish Funding Council , who provided a strategic perspective. She highlighted the critical role of innovation centres like DHI in addressing Scotland’s skills needs, emphasising the importance of partnerships with academia and industry to foster knowledge exchange and long-term skills development. Dr Sanna Rimpiläinen from DHI  explored the radical shifts in workforce requirements due to digital transformation, citing the effects of Brexit, COVID-19, and global trends. She underscored the need for personalised care, data autonomy for citizens, and an emphasis on prevention and well-being, all of which demand a digitally skilled and agile workforce. Sanna pointed out gaps in the talent pipeline and the importance of embedding digital competencies across all educational and professional levels. Pauline Rae from NHS Grampian  delved into the digital skills required for health and care delivery, showcasing how technology is transforming services such as telemedicine, data sharing, and robotics. She emphasised the importance of fostering digital confidence and literacy among staff, paired with strong leadership to support technological change. The social care perspective was presented by Jess Elsey from the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) , who detailed the unique challenges in recruiting and upskilling the workforce. She highlighted initiatives like the SSSC Learning Zone and 23 Things Digital, which are helping social care workers adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Jess stressed the importance of digital leadership and the potential of technology to improve efficiency and service delivery. Further insights were shared by Dylan White  representing the NHS Youth Academy , who introduced Foundation Apprenticeships as a vital tool for bringing young people into health and social care. He outlined how these programmes combine classroom learning with hands-on placements, allowing students to experience the sector first-hand and develop critical digital and interpersonal skills. Olivia Dunbar highlighted the #DigiInventorsChallenge , a programme that engages young people in developing innovative solutions to health and care challenges. She shared how the initiative inspires creativity, builds entrepreneurial skills, and promotes awareness of digital careers, creating a vital talent pipeline for the sector. David Grier and Kirstine Hale from Skills Development Scotland showcased the My World of Work platform, which supports career exploration by providing tools, resources, and information to help individuals understand career pathways, including those in digital health and care. Their presentation highlighted the importance of equipping individuals with the knowledge to make informed career choices. John Eden from NES introduced the Careers Opportunities Tool for social care, which maps out diverse career paths within the sector. He emphasised the tool’s role in supporting recruitment and retention by helping individuals identify roles aligned with their skills and aspirations. From Fife College , Hazel Brannigan  demonstrated how colleges are embedding digital learning into their courses. She showcased the use of virtual reality tools and technology-enabled care training, highlighting their role in preparing students for the digitally transformed workplaces of health and care. Professor Ellie Hothersall from Dundee Medical School  reflected on how the medical curriculum is evolving to equip future doctors with the digital skills and adaptability required in an AI-driven world. She emphasised the shift from teaching traditional knowledge to fostering lifelong learning, professional values, and critical thinking to navigate a rapidly changing healthcare landscape. Closing the webinar, Greg Moran, a thought leader in digital health and formerly of the Australasian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH)   provided an Australian perspective, reflecting on similar challenges and opportunities in integrating digital health skills. He praised Scotland's collaborative approach but cautioned about the need for clarity in career pathways and greater visibility of roles in digital health to attract future talent. The event concluded with a recognition that while significant progress has been made in Scotland, addressing the digital skills agenda requires sustained collaboration, strategic planning, and consistent effort across sectors. The discussions highlighted a shared commitment to equipping Scotland’s workforce with the skills to thrive in a digitally transformed health and care environment.   Summary: The #DigiFest24 Skills Webinar, a satellite event of Scotland’s Digital Health and Care Fest, explored the critical need to address digital skills gaps in health and social care. Experts from DHI, NHS, SSSC, education, and industry highlighted the importance of fostering digital literacy, leadership, and critical thinking across all levels—from school to professional practice. Discussions centred on leveraging technology to transform services, attract future talent, and retain a resilient workforce amid global challenges. With a focus on collaboration and innovation, the session underscored Scotland’s commitment to building a digitally skilled workforce for the future of health and care. DHI SKILLS FEST FOR #DIGIFEST24