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Irish Examiner
12-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
‘Almost criminal' that patients cannot access medical records – former HSE digital chief
It is 'almost criminal' that Irish patients cannot easily access their own medical records, according to a leading digital health expert, who resigned in frustration from the HSE two years ago. Maynooth University professor of innovation Martin Curley addressed the college's Digital Health summer school today, Monday. He resigned as the HSE's head of digital transformation in 2023 after five years. At the time, he compared the challenge of the role to scaling Mount Everest. In just one example of obstacles facing patients and staff, anyone who wants to see their personal medical records must make a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. 'This is nonsense, this is almost criminal,' he said, speaking after the event. 'One of the angles we talked about today is that we are in breach of GDPR. There's a fundamental right from GDPR that patients have access to their information.' He acknowledged there could be sensitive information which doctors might be reluctant to share, or information which needs explanation. Despite this, he said, a shift away from the FOI requirement would mean 'moving from paternalism to participation and partnership'. His main focus at Monday's event was on practical examples of how digital technology could help this shift happen, and also benefit other areas of health. Praise for HSE's Mission 10X The conference heard about a digital health initiative already in use by the HSE Dublin and in the Midlands health region. Prof Curley said the Mission 10X system is based on 10 recommendations. He described it as 'fully aligned' with the Sláintecare programme. It runs on an individual e-health record called 'SPINE' — secure patient information network exchange. It is in use with over 15,000 patients. He added that the conference heard of 'staggering changes' from the HSE's Maxine Radcliffe regarding swifter and more accurate triaging of patients. He said: We're calling Mission 10X a moonshot, to bring Ireland from last in Europe to first in the world in digital health. 'We need to scale it [nationally] and, if this plan is supported, everybody in Ireland will have a personal health record on their phone and it will be completely integrated from a pharmacy, to the GP, to the hospital. We actually demonstrated that working today, so it's not pie in the sky.' It has been estimated about €10m is needed to run what he called 'a large living lab' to test it further. 'Then we think we could give everybody a personal electronic health record for €100m, and have it working with SPINE,' he said. Other speakers at the event included the Irish Patient Association's Stephen McMahon and Ibec chief executive Danny McCoy. The HSE has said it is rolling out digitalisation across the system, with the HSE app for patients now up and running in its first phase. Last October, HSE chief Bernard Gloster said the the health service is 'about seven years' away from delivering a digital health record system to replace paper records. They are in use in some maternity hospitals already. The programme for government also commits 'to continue to work towards the full digitisation of Irish healthcare records and information systems'.
Irish Independent
12-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
‘Putting everyone's health record on their phone would save the HSE billions'
That's according to a vision to become a leading digital health nation set out by the health service's former digital transformation director and current Maynooth University Professor Martin Curley as he launched an initiative called Mission 10X at its Digital Health Summer School. 'This is a moonshot empowering every Irish citizen to manage and improve their health. We want your health to revolve around you and not around hospitals,' he said. The school's launch saw demonstrations of a number of technologies, including AI-assisted smartwatches to monitor patients who are at risk and AI-assisted screening technology deployable in homes, pharmacies, primary care centres and GP practices.. 'These innovations are low-risk, low-cost proven technologies that help detect disease early. It's a preventative approach, in contrast to the current one, where we spend the majority of the budget on treating sick patients in hospitals. 'The best way to predict the future is to innovate it. We have all the knowledge and technology to build and scale a world-class health and wellness system – one powered by open, intelligent technology and centred on patients, not paperwork. 'Deploying these nationwide could ultimately enable us to offer a full annual medical screening for about €100 per person. Early detection is better for the service, for patients and for health budgets. 'Mission 10X is fully aligned with Sláintecare, would cost €100m and is achievable in about five years, enabling the nation to 'leapfrog' current systemic and infrastructural obstacles,' he said. Prof Curley's vision is in contrast to the HSE's current digital health approach centred on hospitals and regions. Last year, its Digital Health Strategic Implementation Roadmap sought an increase in the HSE's annual IT budget to between €1bn and €1.4bn a year over seven years. Health sources say that hospital-based digital health records would cost between €2bn and €5bn to roll out nationwide. 'That would only see us largely get to where some other countries' health services were 20 years ago. But Mission 10X could also complement that plan,' Prof Curley said. ADVERTISEMENT Ireland ranks last in European digital health rankings, but could become a global leader alongside countries such as Estonia, which has already adopted this approach, if our health service adopted 10 recommendations his vision is based on, Prof Curley said. 'We've had an increase to date of about 3.5pc in health productivity as the result of 50,000 more health workers and spending €8bn. This preventative approach would save anywhere between 10 and 100 times its comparatively low cost,' he added. The first step towards this goal is a phased investment in a secure patient information network, or SPINE, at an initial cost of €10 million to study its feasibility, ahead of scaling to a €100 million nationwide deployment, he said. Prof Curley, a former senior Intel executive who is now Director of Digital Health at the University's Innovation Value Institute, has already trialled the initiative with two senior HSE managers and 15,000 patients in Leinster, some of whom have complex health needs. The trial also involved 1,000 patient queries that would otherwise have seen all of them visit their GP or local A&E. Out of those, our approach helped triage and guide people to establish that 30 actually needed to visit their GP, and six needed to go to A&E. 'If you multiply that small example on a nationwide scale, it could be transformational for health productivity, and in terms of the time and cost savings to both patients and health workers. It benefits everyone,' Prof Curley said. His vision is supported by a range of clinicians and others concerned with and within the health system. Dr John Sheehan, Clinical Director of Radiology at Blackrock Health, said: 'With a modest initial investment of €10m, Ireland can create a scalable digital health system, mirroring Estonia's successful model. This is a historical opportunity we cannot afford to miss.' Stephen McMahon, head of the Irish Patients Association added: 'This is a revolutionary beacon of hope and healing for patients today and future generations. Mission 10X shows that together, we truly can transform healthcare.'
RTÉ News
12-05-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
Ireland 'lagging behind' other countries on electronic health records
Ireland is at least a decade away from having electronic health records for patients in acute hospitals, if the country waits for the current health service plan to be implemented, an international conference in Maynooth University has heard. Director of the Digital Health Ecosystem, Professor Martin Curley, said everyone in Ireland should be provided with an electronic health record on their phone. He said that the technology is there now to build a world class digital health system. He said it would mean for every patient would have one record, whether they go to their pharmacy, an Emergency Department or attend their general practitioner (GP). Prof Curley said this would allow all the clinicians to see the medical records and give patients the power to better manage their own health. He added that his criticism of waiting for the current health service plan to be implemented was not said to embarrass the HSE or the Department of Health. Prof Curley said the core tools exist and are in use, but what is missing is a national-scale rollout and full integration between hospitals, GPs, pharmacies, and patients. The international digital health conference at Maynooth University heard that Ireland lags significantly behind other countries in digital health records. Experts said that paper records can be lost, be illegible, or can be hard to locate. Electronic records can be accessed in any part of the system at any time and be instantly updated. Dr John Sheehan of Blackrock Health said that with a modest initial investment of €10 million, Ireland can create a scalable digital health system, mirroring Estonia's successful model. Among the 10 innovations showcased at the conference were: Smartwatch technology that tells a health service if a patient has fallen; an early sepsis detection system and automated sending of GP encounter notes to a patient's phone, before they leave the doctors' surgery. Experts at the conference say relying on paper records is outdated and carries risks and also means Ireland is not meeting its obligations under GDPR law.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Springfield Police Union approves new labor contract, prioritizing safety
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – A police union representing nearly 500 Springfield officers has approved their new contract. Now it's up to the Springfield city council to give the official green light. It's meant to improve the Springfield police department, in particular to address officers' needs, especially new recruits. The Springfield police department is taking a step forward after a new labor contract was voted up this week by the police union, International Brotherhood of Police (IBPO) officers, Local 364. This represents about 500 Springfield officers. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno told 22News, 'Public safety will always remain my number one priority—I appreciate the efforts of our brave and dedicated men and women in blue. This is a fair and competitive contract for the officers and the taxpayers.' The new contract locks in some necessary measures to enhance and retain the current workforce, including every officer receiving a 3% bump in wages over the next four years, as well as a field training officer program to continue training young recruits. 'It's going to allow our officers to come right out from the academy and get properly trained by officers who are trained fto's and help them become better officers so we can give the best protection for the city,' adds IBPO President Martin Curley. Now with the approval secured from the union, the contract moves to the Springfield City Council for a final vote. In a statement to 22News, Springfield police superintendent Lawrence Akers says in part that officers take on roles that extend beyond their formal job descriptions, and finalizing the contracts will allow them to stay focused on protecting the community. He goes on to say it's also a significant step forward, ensuring that the department continues to modernize and advance, so they can deliver the highest level of service to Springfield residents. We will provide an update as soon as the council votes on the matter. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
