Reflection on 2024: A Year of Progress under Digital for Care 2030 - Damien McCallion, CTTO

As Chief Technology and Transformation Officer, I am proud to reflect on the progress we have all made together in 2024. Since the publication of the Department of Health - Ireland Digital Health Framework and the Health Service Executive’s Digital Health Roadmap, we have continued to advance our mission of delivering safer, connected care for all.

While many of these programmes are only being established we are already looking at how we can accelerate these programmes to support our staff and ultimately improve services to patients.

Key Highlights from 2024:

? The National Electronic Health Record (EHR) programme was established with a preliminary business case developed for approval

?The HSE app is now live in 2024 with a particular focus on supporting maternity patients and a marketing campaign scheduled for Q1 2025

?The National Laboratory Information System went live at Beaumont Hospital with significant patient safety improvements & operational efficiencies

?A case management logging system was implemented nationally to Safeguarding Protection Teams to provide a person centred service for adults at risk of abuse

?A national Enterprise WiFI programme across all six health regions was established

?The rollout of HealthIRL was completed within the HSE now allowing all staff to work under domain improving communication and efficiency of service delivery

?Insights from the HIQA - Health Information and Quality Authority Public Digital Survey reaffirmed public support & requirements for digital transformation

?An AI and Automation CoE was established using robotics to automate 750,000 hours of repetitive tasks over the last two years

?Robust investment in our cyber security programme was progressed and the HSE’s first permanent Chief Information Security Officer was appointed

?The Health Service Executive and HealthTech Ireland signed a Memorandum of Understanding, strengthening collaboration for patient-centred innovation and links between industry and healthcare

?Virtual Wards launched at St. Vincent's University Hospital and University Hospital Limerick – receiving positive feedback and coverage.

Looking Ahead to 2025:

As we move forward, I’m committed to ensuring alignment across our regional structures and delivering on key priorities to further enhance our digital health capabilities. Here’s what we’re focused on in the year ahead:

??Getting approval for our National Electronic Health Record (EHR) Preliminary Business Case and commencing the procurement process

??Completing the rollout of an EHR to our dedicated maternity hospitals

??Awarding a contract for development of a shared care record and completing development of the solution

??Increasing the range of services available to patients through the HSE app with four releases in 2025 while integrating all stand alone apps to one access point for the public

??Improving our diagnostic services by completing the National Integrated Medical Imaging System(NIMIS) programme and accelerating our medical laboratory system rollout

??Commencing the rollout of a foundation system in our community services to support staff working outside hospitals

??Strengthening cybersecurity resilience against evolving threats and working towards meeting NIS2 standards

??Developing a framework for AI in healthcare and implementing AI in radiology, HSE Live and other priority areas

??Rolling out enterprise WiFI for all our staff and patients right across all public healthcare facilities

??Scaling virtual care models and remote healthcare solutions

??Introducing modern workspace and productivity tools

??Establishing stronger regional technology and transformation functions aligned to Digital for Care to support delivery

??Launching the Digital Health Passport and a Digital Health Leadership Programme to enhance staff capabilities.

These achievements and future plans reflect our collective effort to drive digital transformation across the health service. I want to thank our teams, partners, and stakeholders for their unwavering commitment to innovation and patient-centred care.

Together, we are delivering #DigitalForCare.

A big thanks to all of you right across the health system, our teams, partners and stakeholders for the unwavering commitment to innovation and patient-centred care.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas & Peaceful New Year!

Damien McCallion

Chief Technology and Transformation Officer, HSE