{"id":5872,"date":"2026-06-18T11:34:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T11:34:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.gov.scot\/digital\/?p=5872"},"modified":"2026-06-18T14:31:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T14:31:17","slug":"building-joined-up-digital-public-services-in-scotland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.gov.scot\/digital\/2026\/06\/18\/building-joined-up-digital-public-services-in-scotland\/","title":{"rendered":"Building joined-up digital public services in Scotland"},"content":{"rendered":"

Blog post by Isaac Smith, Deputy Director for Digital Components and Infrastructure.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Over the past few years, Scotland has made\u00a0significant\u00a0progress\u00a0in delivering digital\u00a0infrastructure\u00a0to\u00a0support\u00a0public services.\u00a0As\u00a0more of these services\u00a0are made\u00a0available\u00a0there is an\u00a0increasing need\u00a0to\u00a0manage\u00a0them as\u00a0a\u00a0holistic\u00a0suite\u00a0of\u00a0products\u00a0rather than\u00a0focusing\u00a0on\u00a0individual\u00a0services.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This shift towards more connected services aligns closely with the Scottish\u00a0Government\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Public Service Reform Strategy<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(PSR), which emphasises the need for services to be more integrated, preventative, and centred around people\u2019s needs. It also reflects\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>Digital Strategy for Scotland<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 a shared vision between the Scottish Government and local government\u00a0\u2013 to deliver inclusive, ethical, and accessible digital services that work seamlessly across organisational boundaries.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

People\u00a0do not\u00a0think about public services in terms of different systems or organisations. They simply want to do what they need to do\u00a0quickly and easily.\u00a0That is\u00a0why the focus is shifting from creating separate digital services to building a more connected, joined-up system.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From separate services to a seamless ecosystem\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now\u00a0that\u00a0many of our core components have reached\u00a0a\u00a0good\u00a0level\u00a0of maturity and scale, the\u00a0challenges\u00a0and opportunities\u00a0have\u00a0changed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The priority is no longer\u00a0just\u00a0about\u00a0building\u00a0platforms, but\u00a0more about\u00a0connecting them into a seamless ecosystem\u00a0–\u00a0where services work together behind the scenes so that people experience something simple, consistent and joined-up.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This means designing beyond single services and thinking about the overall experience: how identity, payments,\u00a0secure\u00a0messaging,\u00a0workflow\u00a0management,\u00a0and future\u00a0functionality\u00a0come together as part of one coherent\u00a0multi-channel\u00a0journey. This move towards integration directly supports Scotland\u2019s public service reform ambitions, helping reduce fragmentation and making it easier for people to access support without navigating organisational boundaries.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Building on shared foundations\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A key part of this approach is using shared platforms that different services can build on. For example:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n