8.Section 1 imposes a duty on the Scottish Ministers to use their powers under Part 1 to enable everyone who receives health care or a social service in Scotland to have a digital care record. A person’s digital care record will draw together information about the person from health care and social service providers. In order to have a digital care record, service providers will therefore need to share information. Regulations under Chapter 2 will be able to provide a lawful basis for that. Furthermore, the information shared by service providers will need to be shared in common standards and formats so that the data can be integrated into a record that is interoperable amongst providers. Chapter 3 gives the Scottish Ministers the power to require the adoption of common formats across the health and social care sectors in Scotland by setting information standards.
9.Subsection (3) of section 1 makes clear that the powers in the Part can be used for other purposes too, and that the Scottish Ministers can use powers besides those conferred by the Part to fulfil their duty to ensure the availability of digital care records.
Overview of the Act Overview of Part 1 Chapter 1: Digital care record