- HSE Telehealth roadmap to transform future of healthcare by improving outcomes, experience and safety for patients and staff
- Digitise, connect and transform - digital vision for health service showcased at ‘Better Together for Digital Healthcare’ National Conference
A new digital health plan to improve people’s health experiences was launched today (Friday, 1st December 2023) at the HSE ‘Better Together for Digital Healthcare’ conference.
The ‘HSE Telehealth Roadmap 2024-2027: Building Blocks for the Embedding & Expansion of Telehealth’ was developed by the HSE National Telehealth Steering Committee to transform delivery of healthcare in Ireland.
Welcoming delegates, Loretto Grogan, HSE National Chief Nursing and Midwifery Information Officer reflected on digital progress made so far, and said: “The COVID-19 pandemic enabled momentum in digital health developments that may have otherwise taken years. It is crucial that we build on this, putting strong foundations in place to digitise, connect and transform services safely and securely to improve the outcomes, experience and safety for people accessing our health service.
“The potential benefits of telehealth are clear. For example, remote video and telephone consultations can reduce travel time, costs, emissions and time away from work, school, families and communities. Telehealth can also support timely intervention, reduce hospital admissions and facilitate early discharge through empowering patients with wearable technologies that can be monitored remotely by health teams.
“Now we have a strategic and coherent plan to ensure that telehealth is developed in an efficient, sustainable, safe manner. The Telehealth Roadmap identifies key building blocks which are critical to a firm foundation for telehealth in Ireland.”
The Roadmap aims to:
- ensure that the continued development of HSE Telehealth services nationally are safe, effective, efficient, scalable, sustainable and interoperable.
- empower, and improve the quality of life and care of patients by, where clinically appropriate, increasing access to:
- safe and effective remote video and/or phone consultations, reducing the need to travel to and from appointments
- innovative technologies that will allow their clinical team to closely monitor their conditions from where they call home, reducing time spent in hospitals
- a range of online supports and therapies provided by safe and trusted healthcare providers and partner agencies from where the patient calls home.
Opening the conference, Minister of State at the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Ossian Smyth TD, said: “Telehealth is core to the Sláintecare vision for healthcare in Ireland. It will help us integrate our health services, breaking down silos whilst growing capacity and enhancing the care provided to people. Telehealth advancements will ultimately help improve access, outcomes, and affordability for patients, by facilitating the right care to be delivered in the right place, at the right time by the right team.”
A core theme of the conference was the digital empowerment of the health service workforce.
Fran Thompson, Chief Information Officer, HSE, acknowledging the fundamental role of staff, said: “Significant steps are being made to improve the digital capability in our health services. This conference brings to the fore the combined vision of healthcare staff to provide connected digital care to the people of Ireland. I want to acknowledge the pivotal role our staff have played to date in advancing this vision and look forward to further optimising digital healthcare across all sectors of our health service.”
Professor Richard Greene, Chief Clinical Information Officer, HSE, said: “While digital health incorporates software, hardware, services and everything from mobile health apps to electronic health records, we must acknowledge that these will not deliver healthcare improvements alone. We need integrated and standardised workflows, improved resource management and a renewed focus on patients and carers needs. Our focus is optimising these tools for the benefit of our patients and healthcare workers.”
Join the conference conversation using the hashtag #Better2getherDH2023. The Telehealth Roadmap is available at Digital Health, see eHealthIreland.ie for further information.
Last updated on: 01 / 12 / 2023
