We must invest in greater data skills to unlock all the benefits for Scotland

Smart use of data can make tangible differences to people’s lives in our nation, writes Jude Mccorry

With global institutions like the United Nations, the World Economic Forum and the World Bank waking up to the potential for data to help change the world for the better, it’s worth looking at how Scotland is benefiting from this data revolution.

Data is an enabler. While there is a lot of hype around how data insights are increasingly driving commercial gains, it is worth giving more appreciation to how data and statistics are progressing and informing evidence-based policy decisions.

The explosion of accessible data means there is now human behavioral data available to analyse and so much scope to make better decisions. In Scotland there are numerous examples of this in practice. The prevalence of such exciting projects on our door step is largely down to the presence of ‘data warriors’ – the people with the skills and passion to identify the potential benefits and see such projects through.

A collaborative project aimed at addressing the challenges of socalled ‘bed-blocking’ in Scotland has not only seen impressive results but won an industry award. With around 1,200 patients delayed from leaving hospital each month, the Scottish Government and NHS/ NSS worked in partnership with The Data Lab to use data analysis to come up with a way to assess the future risk of delayed discharge when a patient is first admitted to hospital.

In using real patient data, this challenging project has the potential to make a real difference to how Scotland’s healthcare system identifies and manages the risk of a patient’s discharge from hospital becoming delayed. Everyone worked hard to resolve data access issues, to quality assure data and to produce a successful algorithm for the proof of concept.

There are so many ways data can be used. There is real potential to make tangible differences to the lives and wellbeing of Scotland’s people. Decisions about future policy can truly be evidence-based like never before.

It is therefore essential we understand that potential, champion key projects and continue to invest in data skills and talent. Jude Mccorry is business development director of The Data Lab

0 Data can improve public services