It is believed that this new deal between NHS Scotland and Microsoft will revolutionise healthcare in Scotland. As part of the agreement, the health service will merge more than 100 separate computer systems providing its 161,000 staff access to Microsoft’s Office 365.

This will enable employees to communicate on one digital platform, allowing GPs, consultants and support workers to share patient information more easily and thus cutting waiting times.

NHS Scotland will also move its computer systems to Window 10 E5, which will protect their systems with security features such as Advanced Threat Protection. The agreement will run for three years, with the option to extend it for a further two years.

New Deal Will Keep Healthcare’s Systems Up-To-Date

In the wake of the WannaCry ransomware attack, which caused the cancellation of 6,900 NHS appointments, it seems appropriate that this software has behaviour sensors, security analysis in the cloud and threat intelligence, which will allow staff to respond to cyber-attacks in near-real-time.

A report by the National Audit Office described the Wannacry attack as “unsophisticated” and easily preventable. The report urged the NHS to take action to ensure that it was better protected in the future.

11 of Scotland’s 14 NHS health boards were affected by the Wannacry attack leaving only Lothian, Orkney and Shetland unaffected.

Cindy Rose, Chief Executive of Microsoft UK, said: “NHS Scotland staff do incredible work each and every day, however cross-department collaboration can be challenging due to the use of multiple systems.

“By moving to one common platform in Office 365, staff will have the best tools available to work together seamlessly, ensuring they’re able to focus on what counts most – helping patients.

“Furthermore, by moving to Windows 10 E5, NHS Scotland can be confident that its systems are running on the most up-to-date software at all times.

“As a result, the organisation will have a real-time view of any potential cyber threats and can therefore minimise the impact of any cyber-attack across the entire organisation.”