Thomas Buchendorfer, Technical Architect, Scottish Centre for Telehealth and Telecare

Thomas Buchendorfer

Job Title/Organisation: Technical Architect, NHS 24, Scottish Centre for Telehealth and Telecare (SCTT)

What does your role involve?

I work on a number of service development initiatives of the SCTT. Broadly speaking, I find ways to deliver supporting technology and give expert advice on business decisions.

This typically involves generating an overall technical plan, creating a supplier team to deliver the solution, and ongoing monitoring and adjustment to keep things on track and adapt to changes. 

What do you consider to be the most imminent challenge in your line of work?

For me, this is my current focus on finding and implementing a model for online access to integrated health and social care. It is part of achieving the year 2020 vision.

A lot of good work has been progressed in the last years to support the needs of professionals. It is less clear how we will support the citizen and setting up the necessary infrastructure takes time.

What has been the most rewarding piece of work you've undertaken?

Developing prototype air traffic control user interfaces for National Air Traffic Services (NATS). NATS had a great work environment for software developers and valued R&D in making a system work well for its users.

How can Scotland bridge the digital skills gap?

I see this as being about bringing more skilled IT professionals into the public sector. There is probably no simple answer to that, but based on my experience I would suggest to develop new kinds of relationships where IT feels like an integral part of the overall business and where suppliers are backers of a shared vision. Attracting and developing the right skills would flow from there.

Which new technology excites you the most?

Developments in modern game technologies such as high fidelity graphics, procedural generation and artificial intelligence. I can see games changing to become entertainment platforms where people can immerse themselves and take part in their own personal movie experience.  

What's your favourite app and why?

Notability – It works really well for keeping an electronic notebook on the iPad

What, for you, will 2016 be the year of from a technology/digital standpoint?

I think in 2016 we will still see a lot of the privacy debate and more high profile privacy breaches. Maybe we will also see some innovation to help people get better at managing their risks on the modern Internet.