Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 June 2023
677. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1130 of 13 June 2023, when he anticipates the fully functioning electronic health record will be introduced and operational within the HSE, which he acknowledges is critical for better, safer and more integrated health care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30850/23]
View answerThe Department of Health are currently developing a new Digital Health and Social Care Strategic Framework (2023-2030) and are collaborating with the Health Service Executive, who will produce a corresponding implementation plan. The new Framework aligns with the Government’s digital health strategy “Harnessing Digital” and the Slaintecare programme.
Included in the new Digital Health and Social Care Strategic Framework 2023-2030 and associated implementation plan, is a roadmap which guides the programme of work required to deliver on eHealth initiatives including a national electronic health record. It outlines how digital records will be introduced on a phased basis starting with the roll-out of summary care records, shared cared records and building on both of those initiatives to work towards a national electronic health record.
Our engagement with other countries internationally and those who are considered leaders in digital health and have considerable experience in deploying EHRs, indicate that deploying electronic health records is a complex undertaking that requires enablers including ? clinical leadership, strategy, policy and legislation, robust governance, sustained commitment, significant resources, and expertise in technology.
The rollout of digital health record solutions will complement the existing work being undertaken to progress more extensive EHR deployments such as those at St. James Hospital, our maternity hospitals, the new children’s hospital, the national rehabilitation hospital and the national forensics hospital. Progress has been made to procure a similar solution that that is suitable for deployment in the community healthcare setting.
The New Children’s Hospital hospital-wide electronic health record is underway with a contract now in place and staff being recruited to support its roll-out. When complete, this will be the most extensive EHR deployment in Ireland to date. The New Children’s Hospital has been designed as a digital hospital and requires a functional electronic health record as a core element of its operations. The deployment of electronic health records at the New Children’s Hospital builds on the success of other major eHealth programmes such as the EHR deployment at St James Hospital ? the largest acute hospital in Ireland ? which has an electronic health record system in place since 2018 and is now embedded in how care is delivered to patients at St James. With the aim of reducing risk to new-born babies and their mothers, there is now an electronic health record deployed across three major maternity hospitals (plus the maternity unit at University Hospital Kerry), with plans to cover the two remaining large maternity hospital by 2024. By 2024, 70% of babies will have an electronic health record assigned at birth.
Importantly, electronic health record deployments are part of a much wider network of digital health projects, with 700 funded eHealth projects currently underway across acute, community and primary care settings.
The Department of Health is now 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.
