Simplifying government in an increasingly complex world

When it comes to saving lives during the Covid-19 pandemic, every moment counts. For doctors and nurses, that means making split-second decisions about treating desperately ill patients. For our political leaders, that means having the right information at the right time to make the right decisions, such as lifting lockdown restrictions and reopening economies while continuing to contain and control the virus.

But all of that depends on having data you can rely on, safeguarded by robust and resilient technology, and developed in partnership with those you can trust to deliver. At ServiceNow, we continue to play a key role supporting the NHS across the UK.

England and Scotland launched new test-and-trace systems at the end of May. These systems are critical to the success of any relaxation of lockdown, helping ensure that any new outbreaks of the virus are contained. Test-and-trace will also mean that any necessary reimpositions of restrictions are highly localised – allowing the majority of the country and the economy to continue operating more normally.

In England more than 20,000 contact-tracers have been recruited – with up to a further 2,000 at NHS Scotland. According to reports, tracers in England identified and contacted 31,000 close contacts in the first week of the test-and-trace system. The recruitment process has been a race against time, and one mirrored in the creation of the supporting processes and technologies that make test-and-trace possible.

Scotland has been taking a slightly different approach to that of England, and ServiceNow has been at the forefront of these efforts – working with NHS Scotland to develop its contact-tracing application. We recently marked our third anniversary of working with NHS National Services Scotland and the strength of our relationship has been invaluable during Covid-19.