Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 September 2023
52. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health the digital reforms he has undertaken, and those he intends to undertake; and his views on whether a greater use of digital health will improve patient outcomes, improve efficiencies and be a solution to escalating costs. [40600/23]
View answerDigital Health is essential to support planning for the populations’ health needs, in building integrated care models, in delivering universal health and social care services (services) and in ensuring safety, quality and sustainability in patient care.
Digital Health developments to date
Our services have experienced positive digital developments over the past decade. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital health globally and nationally. Patient and clinical demand for the adoption of digital health accelerated in response to Covid-19 resulting in a sustained increase in the use of telemedicine, remote care programmes and the issuing of electronic prescriptions (emergency legislation). Our Covid-19 response delivered the efficient implementation of test and trace initiatives and a robust and effective vaccination programme. A data driven approach was taken to managing the response to Covid-19 allowing for the monitoring of infection rates and tracking the effectiveness of vaccination efforts.
The cyberattack on the Health Service Executives (HSE’s) health information systems, highlighted the vital role that digital health plays in the delivery, management and planning of health and social care services. It demonstrated the risks associated with managing IT systems and identified areas that need to be strengthened and developed with a particular focus on governance, training, data and information security and systems enabling both health care professions and patients access to patient data held in digital format. Building on investment to-date, Ireland is now further investing heavily in foundational infrastructure to strengthen its cyber resilience.
There are various digital health initiatives that have been deployed and are delivering benefits for both patients and the workforce. Enterprise level EHR deployments in St James hospital, the national rehabilitation hospital, and the national forensics hospital, across maternity, and paediatric settings, and other clinical and operations systems are in place.
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.
Future Reform and Benefits
Development of a new Digital Health and Social Care Strategic Framework (2023-2030) is nearing completion and will align with Government’s “Harnessing Digital” and sets the roadmap for digital health in Ireland for the next decade. Concurrently, the HSE are developing the corresponding Implementation Plan that will detail out the specifics and sequencing of the roadmap and confirm the necessary support required to realise this intent.
The Strategic framework will support reform of our services through streamlined processes, modernisation of patient facing health services and provides patients and staff with access to digital health records improving health outcomes for all. The framework puts a greater focus on empowering patients to take greater control of their own health and wellbeing, giving them secure access to their own health information. It enables staff to do their jobs by providing them with digital skills and toolsets in a modern digital environment. The strategic framework supports investment in core clinical and operational systems that are joined up, promotes innovation, and ensures that digital is built on a robust and secure infrastructure.
A key underlying enabler of this Strategic Framework is the new Health Information Bill. The Bill is about helping to deliver better patient-centred integrated care; improving performance and innovation; and supporting digital and data initiatives in healthcare. The Bill includes provisions on the Digital Patient Record programme encompassing both Summary Care Records and Shared Care Records. The Bill will also include provisions that support the deployment of electronic health records on a nationwide basis. They are included in the Bill because the government views them as an essential and critical element of the digital transformation of healthcare. The Department of Health is now working closely with the HSE, given the emergence of the Health Regions, to develop a procurement approach, a phased deployment plan and a hosting model, suitable for the deployment of EHRs.
Access to modern digitally enabled services can lead to better patient experience, and improved health outcomes. Up-to-date information about our care is critical to ensuring we can:
• Stop asking the people to repeat their information unnecessarily by having it available at the right time.
• Help people make better informed decisions about their care with their health care provider.
• Avoid the need for repeat tests that have been carried out elsewhere but where clinicians don’t have access to that information.
• Develop new insights by being able to better analyse data and information.
• Better manage patients with chronic conditions and keep people well and offer more treatments closer to home, by offering telehealth services and joined up data.
