Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 15 February 2023
206. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Health the date in Q2 2018 that his Department was informed by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform that the business case for a national electronic health record proposal was rejected. [7704/23]
View answerIn early 2018, the Department of Health received an Acute Hospitals Electronic Health Record system (EHR) business case from the Health Service Executive (HSE) and this was submitted to Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) in April 2018. Following further engagement with the DPER during 2018, an additional separate business case for an EHR system for the new National Children’s Hospital (NCH) was requested by DPER, and subsequent discussions took place to consider the option of decoupling the procurement of an EHR system for NCH, considering that this project was under construction, from the broader and more complex National Acute Hospitals EHR system being proposed.
In December 2018, on request from DPER, an Acute EHR Implementation Plan for deployment into the new National Children’s Hospital was submitted to the DPER. Following further engagement in January and February 2019 between the Department of Health and DPER and based on an assessment of estimated costs and likely risks, it was agreed that government approval for an EHR deployment in the NCH only would be sought, before seeking further approval for a National Acute EHR system. Whilst the opportunities presented by electronic health records were acknowledged as self-evident, it was also recognised that the deployment of a single, national, enterprise EHR system represented significant challenge, and it was on that basis that a stepwise approach was pursued.
The provision of an EHR System at the new National Children’s Hospital is currently underway with a vendor contracted and staff being recruited to support its roll-out. When complete, this will be the most extensive EHR deployment in Ireland to date.
The Department of Health is working closely with the HSE, given the emergence of the Regional Health Areas, to develop a procurement approach, a phased deployment plan and a hosting model, suitable for the deployment of EHRs on a much broader basis, to enable reform of the health service, and to meet the needs and expectations of patients and healthcare professionals. This approach is also taking cognisance of the investment and the time required need to deploy these systems.
