By Councillor Paul Kelly, COSLA Health and Social Care Spokesperson
The problem we need to solve
Health, social work and social care services have, for many years, faced unrelenting challenges. We’re operating in an extremely challenging financial climate, with an ageing population and significant recruitment and retention pressures. I think it’s fair to say that these challenges mean that continuing to deliver services in the same way is not an option.
Our challenge is to find a way of delivering these public services in a sustainable and innovative way, improving outcomes for people in the face of increasing demands and pressures. Since becoming COSLA’s Spokesperson for Health and Social Care, I’ve come to increasingly appreciate the central role that digital and data solutions must play in driving the transformation we need.
Why CHI matters
That is why I, and COSLA, strongly believe that using the Community Health Index (CHI) in Local Government offers an exciting opportunity to reshape how health, social work and social care services are delivered in Scotland. Indeed, this is reflected in national strategies jointly owned by COSLA and the Scottish Government, including ‘Care in the Digital Age’ and ‘Greater access, better insight, improved outcomes.’
CHI has underpinned NHS Scotland’s digital infrastructure for over 40 years, providing a unique patient number used across the health service. It supports everything from primary and secondary care delivery to service planning and public health activity, enabling reliable identification and matching of individuals across NHS systems.
Extending CHI as a common identifier across health, social work and social care will support the shift towards prevention, enable more effective integrated working and information sharing, reduce duplication and free up capacity in a stretched system. For people using services, this means getting access to the right support at the right time, without having to repeat their story. For those delivering care, it means having the right information at the right time to make informed decisions.
What this means in practice
Using CHI is not about replacing existing systems or identifiers. Its role is to provide a consistent reference point that organisations can adopt and use more widely over time. It enables more reliable matching, which supports safer, more confident use of information.
For local government, the focus is how this existing health capability can help match individuals more consistently across the wider system.
The CHI in Local Government programme and the Technical Advisory Group
The CHI in Local Government programme, delivered by COSLA, the Digital Office for Local Government and Public Health Scotland, is progressing at pace. Currently in its discovery phase, it is mapping the health and social care technology ecosystem, identifying CHI matching pathways and scoping practical opportunities for adoption.
To support this work, we have established a Technical Advisory Group (TAG), bringing together colleagues with technical and operational expertise from across health and social care.
Members of the TAG will:
- Provide advice to the programme, ensuring robust security, assurance and best practice,
- Help shape the CHI Playbook and practical guidance
- Identify risks, challenges and opportunities,
- Share learning and foster collaboration and
- Help shape workable, scalable solutions grounded in real-world experience
We are keen to hear from colleagues across Local Government and Health & Social Care Partnerships who can contribute their expertise and insights. By getting involved, you will play a direct role in shaping how digital and data solutions improve services and outcomes across Scotland.
If you are interested
If you would like to join the TAG or learn more about the CHI in Local Government Programme, please get in touch: info@digitaloffice.scot.
