High Cost Drugs – Scotland
SMC Decisions — 8 June 2026
The Scottish Medicines Consortium published advice on seven medicines on 8 June 2026: Blueteq comment: June SMC announcements make a substantial addition to NHS Scotland’s managed medicines portfolio. References 1. Media release: SMC decisions June 2026. Healthcare Improvement Scotland. 8 June 2026. https://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.scot/publications/media-release-smc-decisions-june-2026/ 2. Scotland Backs Bispecific Antibody for Refractory Myeloma. Medscape. 10 June 2026. […]
ENGAGEMENT IN PROGRESS
A well tried system which saves money, reduces workload, speeds prescription approval and provides instant audit reports.
SMC Decisions — 11 May 2026
The Scottish Medicines Consortium published advice on five medicines on 11 May 2026. Four were accepted: 1. SMC decisions May 2026 — media release. Healthcare Improvement Scotland. 11 May 2026. https://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.scot/publications/media-release-smc-decisions-may-2026/ 2. SMC Update — May 2026 (budesonide/Kinpeygo detail). Prescribing Advice for GPs / Prescriber.org.uk. May 2026. https://www.prescriber.org.uk/2026/05/smc-update-may-2026/
- Collect SMC criteria evidence directly from Provider Clinicians across all 14 Health Boards
- Using Auto-Approval, ensure Clinicians receive approval to treat immediately — average 5–10 minutes
- Keep a complete audit trail — enabling four-nations UK benchmarking for the first time
- Validate/Challenge provider invoices with ease across the Health Board network
Introduction
Paperless Solution — SMC Criteria Built In
Scotland currently has no national digital platform for high-cost drug governance — individual Health Boards manage this locally. Blueteq provides a ready-built national solution, with SMC-aligned eligibility forms and 200+ importable templates from the existing England and Wales deployment. Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSD Scotland), established 1 April 2026 with an explicit 'once for Scotland' digital transformation mandate, is the natural vehicle for national adoption.
Request History & Document Storage
The Blueteq HCD system provides a complete patient history, storing and displaying all information and documentation in one place in a paperless environment. No filing is required and all vital data is immediately to hand.
Customised Reporting for NHS Scotland
A full range of reports are available on demand to help Health Boards monitor uptake of newly approved SMC medicines against eligible populations and enable four-nations UK benchmarking — a capability that Scotland joining England and Wales on Blueteq, alongside Northern Ireland's active consideration of the system, will make possible for the first time.
Without Blueteq
SMC compliance assumed, not evidenced — Health Boards expected to make SMC-recommended medicines available appropriately, but without a national system checking eligibility at the point of prescribing.
New Medicines Fund without matching governance — NMF provides ring-fenced VPAG funding for new SMC-approved medicines; that investment deserves governance infrastructure to match.
No patient-level data on high-cost medicines — Health Boards cannot easily produce reports linking patient demographics, diagnosis, medication, and expenditure.
No UK-wide benchmarking capability — Scotland can benchmark medicines access timelines but not clinical governance or prescribing patterns against England and Wales.
For Commissioners / Stakeholders
- Save on invoice values through discrepancy detection
- Reduce unnecessary spending via eligibility gate-keeping
- Maximise budget impact on patient care
- Match invoices to requests in minutes
- Combined clinical + financial data in one secure system
- Advanced reporting drives quality improvements
For Hospitals / Providers
- Streamline workflows — average form 5–10 minutes
- Treatments guaranteed to align with commissioning criteria
- Prompt payment ensured for all authorised requests
- Simplified submissions through one unified platform
- Precise eligibility forms based on each patient's criteria
- Full visibility of request status and historical data
"The Blueteq HCD system plays an essential role in ensuring patients receive appropriate, evidence-based treatments while helping the NHS manage the growing complexities associated with high-cost prescribing."
14
NHS Scotland Health Boards
200+
Forms importable from England/Wales
2 UK nations
Actively considering Blueteq
Scotland
Would be 3rd nation to deploy
WHY CHOOSE US
Unique Benefits Summary: High Cost Drugs - Scotland
- SMC-aligned eligibility forms — compliance evidenced at every prescribing decision across all 14 Health Boards
- Import 200+ pre-built forms from NHS England and Wales — no need to build from scratch
- Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSD Scotland) holds the 'once for Scotland' digital transformation mandate — the natural vehicle for national adoption
- Four-nations benchmarking becomes possible as Scotland, England, and Wales align — with Northern Ireland actively considering adoption
- New Medicines Fund governance — evidence that NMF-funded medicines reach the right patients
- NCMAG oncology pathway compliance tracking across Health Boards
- No software to install and maintain locally — web-based system, simple subscription
- UK-Based. Employee-Owned. Independently Governed.
UK-Based. Employee-Owned. Independently Governed.
Blueteq is an employee-owned company headquartered in Havant, Hampshire. All data is held on Blueteq’s own UK infrastructure, subject to UK law and governance. There are no external shareholders, no overseas parent company, and no venture capital or private equity interests.
