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Electronic Health Records

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 April 2021

Wednesday, 21 April 2021

Questions (2134, 2135, 2137, 2139, 2257)

Neasa Hourigan

Question:

2134. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the progress in relation to plans to implement an acute electronic health record system in the new national children’s hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19944/21]

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Neasa Hourigan

Question:

2135. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the progress on developing clinical ICT systems to provide the required infrastructure to support effective clinical decision making; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19945/21]

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Neasa Hourigan

Question:

2137. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the progress of plans to provide cloud infrastructure to the whole health service to support a more secure and safe data environment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19947/21]

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Neasa Hourigan

Question:

2139. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health his plans to establish an ehealth forum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19949/21]

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Neasa Hourigan

Question:

2257. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the progress on the implementation of an electronic health record system for community-based care to connect records across the system and support integrated models of care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20304/21]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 2134, 2135, 2137, 2139 and 2257 together.

An acute electronic health record (EHR) for the new children's hospital is currently in phase 2 of a two phase open procurement process. Subject to confirmation of actual costs resulting from that procurement, and acceptance of the resulting business case and government agreement, the resulting EHR will be implemented in the children's hospital to enable commissioning of the facility in line with the construction schedule.

Delivery of integrated care into the community is a fundamental objective of the Sláintecare reform programme. I am advised that community and other eHealth initiatives will be implemented in line with HSE plans, subject to the normal sanction process related to ICT investments that is managed by the Department of Expenditure and Reform approval.

As part of the modernisation of the health service, a programme of work continues within the HSE to refresh existing technology, replace and update hardware and software and to progress the implementation of new digital technology and services such as cloud infrastructure and national clinical systems, in a timely, appropriate and cost-effective manner. I am advised that it is not the HSE's intention to introduce large-scale cloud infrastructure on a national basis into the health system in 2021 although this increasingly becoming a feature of health systems internationally. Having said that, the HSE have leveraged Cloud technology to facilitate an agile response to the pandemic. We are still in a COVID-19 environment and most eHealth and digital focus is currently on the development and implementation of support systems to the national COVID response. On a national basis, to date there has been the successful development and implementation of the COVID Tracker App supporting test and trace processes and the introduction of the public portal for COVID vaccination appointments.

The HSE has development, implementation and operational responsibility for cloud services, national clinical systems, electronic health records and an eHealth forum and I have asked them to separately reply to the Deputy on these matters.

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