Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 April 2025
421. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Health if she will outline the steps her Department is taking to improve data collection and database construction in anticipation of the increased data processing capacity that artificial intelligence adoption entails; if she will outline the logic behind their approach; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18362/25]
View answerData Driven Services is one of the key principles of Digital for Care: A Digital Health Framework for Ireland 2024-2030. The focus of this principle is on how best to leverage data and innovation to bring greater insights and capabilities to the health service for the benefit of our patients and all those who receive health services. It is clear that our health service needs good data, strong data infrastructure, data analytics skills and tools to better manage the health service, analyse demand, plan and align resources, drive productivity and efficiency, deliver improvements, and promote research through the secondary use of data.
The pandemic provided an opportunity for the health service to demonstrate the vital role data plays in the delivery of healthcare services, with extensive reporting of daily statistics in terms of the prevalence of Covid-19 and laterally, data on the rate at which the population were being vaccinated, becoming a normal part of the narrative reported through news media.
There is considerable work underway as part of the HSE’s Digital for Care Implementation Roadmap, to strengthen the health service’s digital and data infrastructure.
As part of this roadmap, the HSE recently appointed a new Chief Data and Analytics Officer (CDAO), to provide leadership, co-ordination and to concentrate resources and focus on the use of data across health and social care services. This will help drive efforts towards ensuring high quality health data that can drive value for all stakeholders who need to use and access data within the health system, while ensuring the right data tools, architecture and insights are available to all services and staff to maximise this data for the benefit of patients, staff and services.
The establishment of Chief Data and Analytics function within the HSE is a significant development within the health reform programme and Digital for Care. The office is currently comprised of several data related functions which previously were standalone, and includes Integrated Information Systems, Health Identifiers, Health Data Standards and Artificial Intelligence and Automation Centre of Excellence (COE). The integration of these functions will enable a more coordinated approach to data-driven decision-making and programme delivery, improving the efficiency and impact of our health service.
The Department of Health and the HSE have commenced the development of a strategy for AI in Health. This is a commitment in the Programme for Government, and we expect this will brought to Government later this year. It is essential to establish a robust and mature digital and data infrastructure to effectively implement AI at scale. Data are especially critical for the effective development, assessment and ongoing improvement of AI, and access to that data needs to be safe, responsible and secure. To ensure robust infrastructure is in place to deliver the AI, the HSE is also a refreshed Data Strategy which will be published later this year.
The HSE’s Data Strategy will focus on achieving a data ecosystem built on transparency, accessibility, and reusability, achieved through the application of standards, trusted identifiers, and secure, interoperable solutions, all underpinned by strong governance and a comprehensive approach to data protection.
The increasing importance of health data is also a European Commission priority with the objective of the European Data Strategy (February 2020) is to make the EU the global leader in the field of digital and data. The European Health Data Space (EHDS) Regulation, will establish a domain specific EU wide Health Data Space, as the first of a series of data spaces across the EU, to leverage the value of data, enhance research, benefit citizens, and bring about economic benefit.
The Health Information Bill was published in July 2024 and having passed Second Stage in the Dáil in September 2024, is expected to progress to Committee Stage shortly. The Bill is part of a suite of planned legislative measures to give full effect to the EU Regulation on the European Health Data Space. It is a key enabler of Digital for Care and will help create a fit for purpose digital-first health information system that enhances patient care and treatment as well as supporting better planning and delivery of health services into the future. The Bill provides a legal basis for the establishment of Electronic Health Records for all and places legal obligations on all healthcare providers in Ireland to provide the patient data required to deliver these records.
The work needed to build Ireland’s health data infrastructure will be informed by the several studies and publications from HIQA including National Standards for Information Management in Health and Social Care, which are an important contribution to safer better care by improving the management of health and social care information.
