Drive
Drive builds on the content of previous pathways and focuses on how the concepts raised in Embed can be threaded through ways of working to drive cultural change in organisations. This pathway is for everyone, but especially for anyone involved in leading and influencing change across services and organisations (e.g. senior managers, service or programme leads).
If you aren't sure you understand any of the content, jump back to the Embed pathway and use the resources there to develop your knowledge before carrying on.
The Drive Pathway
Step 1 - Organisational Digital Maturity
The phrase ‘digital maturity’ describes an organisational culture that is able to adapt and evolve to the opportunities and challenges of a digitally changing environment.
| Question |
Before we delve into this topic further, what do you know about the digital maturity of your own organisation? |
| Read |
The Scottish Government and COSLA have developed a Health and Social Care Digital Maturity Assessment. Read through the most recent summary of findings from 2024 using the link below: Link: Digital Maturity Assessment 2024 Published Report Having read the summary, how do you think the findings align with the digital maturity of your own organisation? |
| Task |
Do you know if your own organisation currently undertakes a digital maturity assessment? If you’re not sure, could you find out who leads on digital maturity in your organisation and discuss this with them?
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Step 2 - What works in Digital Innovation
| Reflection |
For digital improvements to become part of everyday practice, teams and organisations need to understand not just what the innovation is, but how innovation can be adopted, sustained and scaled. Reflect on the difference between pilot projects or one-off initiatives and changes that become part of “how we do things around here.” What enables innovation to be embedded and become routine? |
| Watch |
Explore the ‘Digital Innovation: What Works’ resource from Digital Care Hub. It shares real examples and practical lessons on what helps and what holds back digital innovation in health and social care, highlighting the importance of people, processes, leadership and continuous learning. |
| Task |
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Step 3 - Technology to Redefine Healthcare
| Question |
| Thinking about the challenges faced across our health and social care sector in Scotland, what do you think are the biggest opportunities for digital solutions to make a difference? |
| Listen |
In this podcast (34m 8s), Pritesh Mistry, Digital Technologies Fellow at The Kings Fund, shares his views on opportunities for technology to drive meaningful change across health and social care: Link: Redefining Healthcare: Pritesh Mistry - Redefining Healthcare | Podcast on Spotify |
| Question |
| Pritesh suggests that leaders play a crucial role in developing a culture in which staff are inspired to innovate and embrace digital change. What insights and/or ideas resonated with you from listening to the podcast that you could incorporate into your own leadership approach? How might you use Pritesh’s suggestions to inspire digital innovation within your team? others? |
Step 4 - Digital Principles and Reducing Inequalities(New)
| Reflection |
As digital services expand across health and social care, organisations must ensure technology improves outcomes for everyone and does not create new barriers or inequalities. Consider how digital approaches could support better outcomes for people and communities, and what responsibilities leaders have in ensuring these services remain inclusive. |
| Read |
Read “The Digital Principle: transforming health and social care outcomes at micro and macro levels” from the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland. The article explores how digital approaches can improve services and outcomes while highlighting the importance of digital inclusion, human rights and designing services around people’s needs. |
Step 5 - Inclusive Digital Design
| Reflection |
| Why is it important to design digital health and social care services with communities rather than for them? |
| Read |
Explore this insightful article on ‘Designing Inclusive Digital Health Services’ with Communities which reveals how co-designing with communities can make services more trusted, accessible and effective. Link: Designing Inclusive Digital Health Services With Communities | The King's Fund |
| Task |
Ask yourself who might be excluded from or disadvantaged by one digital service that your organisation is involved with? What is one small change you could make to reduce that barrier? How could you encourage ongoing engagement with service users within your organisation? |
What next?
You have now completed the Drive pathway.
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