Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S7W-01382

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what procurement process was followed in selecting the Vision 3 system as a GP clinical IT system, and what other systems were considered as part of that process.

The GPIT procurement was undertaken through a formal, competitive procurement process led by National Services Scotland (now Public Services Delivery Scotland), in line with European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) requirements. The process was supported by a wide range of Subject Matter Experts, including GPs, nurses, pharmacists, practice managers, health board facilitators, IT specialists and information governance experts, who helped develop and assess the system requirements.

Three suppliers met the criteria for inclusion on the Scottish GP IT framework: Cegedim/INPS (Vision), Optum (EMIS) and Micro test/EVA Technologies. However, Micro test withdrew from the framework in 2021 and EMIS withdrew in 2022. As a result, Vision became the only remaining supplier on the framework and is currently the only GP clinical system available through that national procurement arrangement.

Question reference: S7W-01390

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will pause any further rollout of the Vision 3 system pending a full review of its impact on GP practices, staff wellbeing, patient safety and service capacity.

The Scottish Government has no plans to pause the rollout of the Vision hosted system. EMIS PCS is due to reach end of life in June 2027, and Vision is currently the only GP clinical system available through the national framework for practices requiring a replacement system.

Patient safety, staff wellbeing, service capacity and operational risks are monitored through established programme governance arrangements. PSD Scotland continues to work closely with health boards, GP practices and One Advanced to identify and address issues, strengthen training and support, and implement lessons learned from migrations. This approach is intended to support the safe and effective transition of practices from EMIS PCS before support for that system ends.

Question reference: S7W-01380

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of any patient safety implications arising from the rollout of the Vision 3 system, including in relation to system integration, ease of access to clinical information, any delays in processing patient information and any increase in administrative burden.

As with all major digital programmes, risks relating to patient safety, system integration, access to clinical information and administrative impacts are assessed and actively managed throughout the programme lifecycle.

Public Services Delivery Scotland continues to work closely with health boards, GP practices and the supplier to monitor issues raised during migrations and system use. Where concerns are identified, they are reviewed through established governance processes and appropriate mitigations are put in place to support the continued delivery of safe and effective patient care.

Question reference: S7W-01384

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment was carried out, prior to contract award, of the functionality, reliability, integration capability and clinical usability of the Vision 3 system in modern general practice settings.

During the procurement process, supplier responses were assessed through a series of scoring exercises involving Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), including GPs, nurses, pharmacists, practice managers, health board facilitators, IT specialists and information governance experts. Functional and non-functional requirements were reviewed, tested and validated by both clinical and administrative users to ensure they met the agreed specification. Evidence of compliance was assessed and approved by relevant experts, and all requirements were accredited before migrations commenced.

Question reference: S7W-01391

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review the contractual arrangements for the Vision 3 system, in light of reported concerns raised by GP practices about the system’s functionality, usability and impact on workload and patient care.

A contract was signed in 2022, its Initial Term ends in August 2029 and appropriate governance (Public Services Delivery Scotland Contract Approval Board) will consider extending or replacing at that time. In the meantime, the functional specifications and Service Levels achievements continue to be monitored, and the KPIs reviewed, by existing governance groups to ensure that the Vision system is managed and maintained efficiently and safely.

Question reference: S7W-01386

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many reports of concerns, complaints or incidents it has received regarding the rollout or operation of the Vision 3 system in GP practices, broken down by NHS board area.

Scottish Government do not hold records of the number of reports of concerns, complaints or incidents regarding the rollout or operation of the Vision 3 system broken down by health board area.

The Scottish Government is aware of concerns raised by practices and representative bodies, including through correspondence, ministerial correspondences and representations from the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). The Scottish Government has also received Parliamentary Questions on these matters and continues to engage with PSD Scotland about the issues being raised.

Question reference: S7W-01388

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what support is being provided to GP practices that are experiencing operational difficulties following the transition to the Vision 3 system.

Question reference: S7W-01377

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers the current Vision 3 system to be meeting the operational needs of GP practices, and what evidence it has used to reach that view.

Question reference: S7W-01379

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the Vision 3 system on GP and practice staff workload, wellbeing, morale and retention.

Public Services Delivery Scotland, on behalf of the Scottish Government, is working with health boards to ensure that training is delivered at the right stages of the migration process, reinforced following go-live, and supported through practical, hands-on learning opportunities.

Health boards have been asked to ensure that practices receive appropriate support before, during and after migration, including sufficient protected time for training and familiarisation with the system. Where necessary, health boards may consider temporary adjustments to clinical activity to support a safe transition and staff wellbeing.

PSDS is also working closely with One Advanced and health boards to address issues identified by practices and to improve the overall user experience as the rollout progresses.

Question reference: S7W-01389

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 23 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what escalation process is in place for GP practices that consider that the Vision 3 system is unworkable or having an adverse impact on patient care.

GP practices can escalate issues with the Vision system via their health board representatives, who in turn can raise these with the programme team. GP practice scan log any issues with the One Advanced(Vision) Service Desk.

The GP IT Re-provisioning Programme has a robust governance framework, governed by the GP IT Service Management Board, which meets regularly and features representation from Scottish Government, RCGP, SGPC and NHS Scotland stakeholders, including health board representation. Programme progress and status are assessed as part of each meeting.