Welcome to our newsletter, bringing you all the latest from the Digital Office for Scottish Local Government. In this newsletter, we bring you a detailed update on what has been happening throughout the last month and details of upcoming activities.
If you have any queries regarding any of the content within this newsletter, please get in touch.
The CHI number is Scotland's unique health identifier and using it consistently across services could help reduce duplication, improve data quality, and support more joined-up care for people who use services.
Following the award of funding in late 2025, the CHI in Local Government Discovery programme moved into delivery. A dedicated Project Manager joined in mid-January, and we have now confirmed scope, mobilised the project team, and begun detailed discovery.
We are analysing priority use cases - including new social care referrals, hospital admissions and discharge pathways - to understand current processes, pain points, and the opportunities that better use of the CHI number can unlock.
Engagement is underway with potential early adopter organisations across local authorities, NHS, Health & Social Care Partnerships, third and independent care providers. These early adopters will help shape our approach and ensure the work delivers real value. Programme governance structures are also being established to guide delivery and maintain alignment with wider national programmes. For more information, please contact info@digitaloffice.scot.
Smart Data Foundry Session - Update & Next Steps.
Thank you to everyone who attended our recent Smart Data Foundry session, featuring demonstrations of the Economic Wellbeing Explorer and presentations from The City of Edinburgh Council and East Renfrewshire Council. Engagement was high, with strong interest in how this work can support local authorities and our wider ambitions.
Azure Multi-Organisation Consumption Commitment Agreement: Feasibility Study Update.
As part of the M365 Savings & Cost Avoidance portfolio, we are continuing work to explore the feasibility of a Multi-Organisation Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) for Scottish local authorities.
Scottish Government is acting as the commercial lead, with discussions ongoing with Crown Commercial Services (CCS) and Microsoft. This work remains a feasibility exercise at this stage – no commitment is being assumed by councils.
Thank you to everyone who has already shared Azure spend data and taken time to speak with us. This input is essential to understanding whether a unified MACC is viable.
Due to school holidays, we have extended the deadline for data submissions to 6 March 2026.
If you have not yet responded, please complete the short survey using the link below. Alternatively, if you would like further information you can book a 30-minute call with Monika Franko.
Exploration of Copilot discounted rate for public sector.
Crown Commercial Services (CCS) is currently working with Microsoft to explore discounted Copilot licensing for the public sector.
To support those discussions, we are gathering indicative demand data from Scottish local authorities. This helps strengthen the collective position in negotiations.
Thank you to those who have already shared information or met with us to discuss plans.
The deadline for responses has been extended to 6 March 2026 due to school holidays.
If your council is considering Copilot adoption - whether pilot, trial or scaled rollout - please complete the short survey using the link below.
Alternatively, you can book a short call to discuss with Monika Franko.
M365 Labelling & Classification Phase 1 Pilot Update.
Following publication of the initial Information Governance guidance set we are now shaping Stage 1 of the Labelling and Classification roadmap. Phase 1 will include:
A technical implementation blueprint
Business change and adoption guidance
Templates and user training resources
We are currently working through the blueprint direction and would welcome input from councils that:
Have already deployed Microsoft labelling and classification
Are planning deployment and want to help us sense-check the approach
Would be interested in participating in future pilot activity
M365 Licence Allocation Framework Working Group Update.
We are starting work in the first week of March on a cross-council Licence Audit and Allocation Framework Project. The aim is to develop a reusable toolkit and practical framework that helps councils:
Assess current licence allocation
Align licences to user roles and needs
Challenge default allocation practices
Identify savings and cost avoidance opportunities
We have created a Working Group Brief that you can read using the link below. .
If this is of interest to you, or if someone in your team would benefit from being involved, please get in touch with Monika Franko or Euan Miller.
Please note if the brief is slow to load, press enter in the browser’s address bar.
David Brown wins Digital Leader Award at 2026 Digital Health & Care Awards.
David Brown, Digital Telecare Business Relationship Manager, has been named the Digital Leader of the Year at the 2026 Digital Health & Care (DHAC) Awards.
David’s award reflects not only personal leadership, but the collective achievement of the Digital Office, its partners and the wider telecare community, demonstrating what can be delivered through clear vision, collaboration and a shared commitment to protecting Scotland’s most vulnerable citizens.
The Digital Telecare Programme Team was also honoured to be named a finalist in the Digital Health and Care Team of the Year Award category, recognising the progress achieved across the national programme through collaborative work with our partners.
Take a moment to explore the brand new resources we have added to the Resource Centre this month! Not signed up yet? Register now to unlock full access and stay up to date with the latest resources.
Please note: you must be logged in to the Resource Centre for the below links to work and take you directly to the resources.
As this week is CyberScotland Week, we’re spotlighting our Cyber Incident Attestation Templates, available on our Resource Centre. These templates support councils in managing cyber incidents across their supply chains and provide a consistent approach following an attack.
Basic Attestation Template Designed for councils who have a partner of supply chain organisation which has experienced a cyber-attack. This document acts as a guide and instruction to best practices and what is expected by the council to continue sharing information with the organisation.
Advanced Template Intended for councils who have a partner or supply chain organisation which has experienced a cyber-attack. The template provides professional assurance that recovery actions have been completed and that the organisation no longer poses a cyber risk to the council.
Designing with Citizens: Insights from Glasgow City Council - 4th March 2026.
The Local Government Service Design Group is hosting a presentation from the Centre for Civic Innovation on Wednesday 4th at 1pm - 2pm.
The Centre for Civic Innovation is Glasgow City Council’s citizen‑centred design team. Using a design‑led approach, they work directly with citizens to explore new ways of solving challenges and shaping a better future for the city.
We’re delighted to welcome Anna Macpherson, Designer and Researcher for Neighbourhood Design, who will share insights into the team’s work and their experience of designing with citizens. There will be time for questions at the end of the session.
The session will be recorded and shared on the Resource Centre afterwards for anyone who’s unable to attend on the day.
If you’re not a member of the Local Government Service Design Group but would like to join the virtual session, please contact Synnøve Frøiland.
Scaling Digital and Data Capabilities for a Future Ready Workforce - 5th March 2026.
We’re delighted to announce our upcoming dedicated showcase highlighting the national open‑access resources provided by the Digitally Enabled Workforce (DEW) Team, hosted in NHS Education for Scotland and commissioned by Scottish Government and COSLA.
Paula Baird, Programme Lead for the DEW team, will provide an overview of the nationally available resources designed to build digital and data capabilities across Scotland’s health and social care workforce. The session will also include insights from Alan Milbourne from the Scottish Government Digital Health and Care Team, who will share the Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) aim for specialist workforce development.
In this session, we’ll explore how adopting these resources can deliver real benefits for employees and organisations, as well as the value of engaging with plans for workforce transformation and long term success
Futurescot Conference: Health & Social Care Transformation 2026 - 12 March 2026.
Martyn Wallace, our Chief Digital Officer, will be speaking at the 2026 Digital Health and Care Transformation Conference in Edinburgh on Thursday, 12 March 2026.
He will be joined at the conference by David Brown, Our Business Relationship Manager for Digital Telecare, who will participate in a panel discussion on Living Safely at Home and technology‑enabled innovation to support community‑based care.
Date: Thursday 12 March 2026
Time: 8:15 - 4:30pm
Location: University of Strathclyde, Technology & Innovation Centre, Glasgow
Local Government Service Design Group Special: What’s New in the SAtSD - 18 March 2026.
We’re delighted to invite you to a special Local Government Service Design Group session. Anna Henderson, Service Design Lead and Rachel Dowle, Head of Strategic Design from the Office of the Chief Designer, will walk us through the latest updates to the upcoming version of the Scottish Approach to Service Design (SAtSD).
The session will cover what has changed, why those changes matter, and what happens next. There will also be time for questions at the end of the presentation.
