Scottish NHS signs £50m deal to replace core urgent care tech systems

The country’s national public telecare provider, NHS 24, is to replace its current discrete contact centre and CRM systems with a single integrated digital platform hoped to enable greater innovation

The NHS in Scotland has signed a near-£50m deal to replace core technology systems that underpin the delivery of urgent care.

On 12 October, NHS 24 – the Scottish health service’s national provider of digital care offerings – entered into an initial five-year contract digital consultancy Coforge.

A newly published commercial notice reveals that, during that time, the tech firm will provide the NHS unit with “an integrated contact centre and customer relationship management (CRM) solution, [which] are the two main systems NHS 24 uses to interact directly with people who have urgent medical needs and are essential for us to effectively triage them safely”.

Between them, these two platforms currently support the telecare organisation in answering two million phone calls a year, and providing a website that attracts an annual tally of 100 million pageviews.

The supplier will be tasked with delivering a “user-friendly integrated system, provided as software as service and cloud hosted”. The new combined contact centre and CRM platform is to be implemented in September 2025.

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“It is important that the contract, solution and supplier support NHS 24 to provide safe digital services that connect the people of Scotland to the care they need,” the notice says. “This includes supporting innovation throughout the duration of the contract, so that we offer choice and convenience to people seeking healthcare advice.”

It adds: “Through this contract award there is the opportunity to enhance our digital services with a modern multi-channel approach. High availability, so the people of Scotland can have confidence to reach us, all day every day, and increased flexibility, to allow us to respond to the needs of people seeking healthcare advice – for example that IVR (interactive voice response) options can be changed by NHS 24 to reflect live service pressures or people can interact while on the [phone] – are key considerations.”

The deal with Coforge offers the possibility of a two-year extension. If it runs to its full seven-year term, spending is expected to total £48m, inclusive of VAT.

The new technologies covered by the agreement form part of a wider “NHS 24 Digital Transformation Programme [which includes] replacement of several of the information technology solutions used to deliver services to patients in Scotland”, according to the commercial notice.