- The Bill will provide a clear legal basis for the establishment of Digital Health Records for everyone in Ireland, giving patients easier access to their own health information.
Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly will today introduce the Health Information Bill 2024 through Second Stage in the Dáil.
Speaking ahead of the Dáil debate, Minister Donnelly said:
“The Health Information Bill will be transformative for patients and the hard-working professionals across our health services. It facilitates appropriate sharing of patient information across healthcare settings and provides a clear legal basis for the establishment of digital health records for everyone in Ireland. This means enhanced patient access to, and control over their own health information while also enabling health professionals to have a more complete, holistic view of the patients they are treating.”
Speaking about the new legislation, Minister Donnelly said:
“The Bill empowers the HSE to draw together health information from across care settings for the development and deployment of digital health records for all patients. The Bill is an important step in supporting integrated care and is fundamental to achieving the health service improvements envisioned in Sláintecare. The Bill will also support Ireland’s obligations and significant opportunities under the European Health Data Space (EHDS) Regulation, which is due to enter into force by the end of this year.
“The Health Information Bill is part of a suite of measures that will make a huge difference to the quality and effectiveness of our health and social care services into the future. Later this year we will roll out a new Patient App, while a National Shared Care Record will be implemented in 2025.”
The Health Information Bill is a vital component for the successful implementation of ‘Digital for Care: A Digital Health Framework for Ireland 2024-2030’ which was launched in May 2024. The framework sets out a vision and roadmap to deliver a modern, digitally enabled healthcare environment including making joined-up health information available electronically through digital health records. This will allow healthcare staff to access the right information where and when they need it, to carry out their roles effectively, and provide the best possible care to patients.
Minister Donnelly concluded:
“Ireland needs one digital health record that can be accessed by health professionals across the health service. ‘Digital for Care’ provides a clear roadmap on how to deliver a unified, connected and patient-centred digital health record system in Ireland.”
Minister Donnelly looks forward to further debate and the passage of the Bill through the Houses, and to enactment of the measures, which will provide a robust legislative framework for an integrated health information system.
