Agile and collaborative development
Find out about the design and development of the Turas Vaccination Management tool.
Created through collaboration
The first version of the tool was delivered through a partnership between:
- NES Digital
- NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
- NES Digital Service
- National Services Scotland
- Public Health Scotland
- Scottish Government
The design and development of the tool have taken a user-centred approach from the outset. Included at every stage of the tool's design and development, our users played an important role in the success of the tool. Feedback on the design and delivery of the system was and still is sought from all NHS Scotland Boards.
Agile delivery
NES operates using a mature Agile delivery approach. Agile focuses on continuously providing value at a high level of quality.
Using an Agile approach supports:
- the quick delivery of software
- changing requirements even late in development
- collaborative working across disciplines
- a self-organising team
- user feedback throughout the design and development process
Pilot sites and user feedback
Agile projects make user satisfaction the highest priority even with the short delivery time scales. To ensure the tool met user needs we ran pilot studies at the following Flu clinics:
- Barrhead Health & Care Centre
- Easterhouse Health Clinic
- St Mirren Football Club (Refrewshire HSCP mass central flu vaccination clinic)
- NHS Lothian Occupational Health Clinic
We recorded our first flu vaccination episode as part of the pilot on the 10th November 2020. The feedback from these pilot clinics provided valuable insights that influenced the design of the tool. A remote usability study was also carried out on the initial vaccination flow. This study helped identify detailed usability issues that may have hindered the tool's speed and ease of use.
Healthboards across Scotland have differing technology environments. We took into consideration these differences during the design and development of the tool. Client devices, browser versions and internet connectivity, bandwidth or availability were all thought through. We had to ensure we created a tool that worked across all devices screen sizes and internet connection methods. Optimised for touch screen devices, the tool uses big clear buttons that are quick to tap. So, whether you access the tool via a desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone, it will still be easy to use.
Testing demonstrated that within the clinic environment, vaccinators felt the tool worked particularly well on touch screen devices. Using a touch screen device while facing the citizen aided the vaccinator’s interaction with them. Because the vaccinator didn’t have to turn away from the patient to type into a desktop computer the interaction felt more natural and patient-centred.
COVID-19 vaccinations begin!
After we analysed and improved the tool based on the pilot site and usability study feedback Turas Vaccination Management went live on 7th December 2020. We were excited and ready to record our first COVID-19 vaccination episode on the 8th of December.
Meaningful vaccination data
Patient vaccination data captured using the tool is integrated with downstream systems for business information and analytical purposes. Patient vaccination data recorded using the tool is sent to the National Clinical Data Store. From here it is shared with GP systems, the national appointment booking system, and is made available for management information and analytical purposes.
Ongoing development
Development of the tool continues. New features and functions are regularly added to improve the experience for users. We always value feedback from all the users of the tool.
Find out how you can suggest an improvement.