The Irish government has published a report entitled “The Path to Universal Healthcare: Sláintecare & Programme for Government 2025+” (SC2025+), presenting its roadmap toward a high-quality universal healthcare system. It shares progress and priorities for 2025 and beyond, on digital projects including a health service mobile app, a national shared care record, virtual wards, a demand and capacity visualisation platform, and intelligent automation and AI.
The HSE mobile app, launched earlier this year, offers people the opportunity to manage their digital health identity and health information, prescription and medicines information, and appointments. Following its trial with 1,500 patients in Q4 2024, further releases and capabilities are planned for 2025 and 2026. This includes the launch of a physical activity behaviour change support service via the HSE App, and a health services directory to provide signposting to services. This aims to support the public to navigate the health service, using the app, or by phone, email and chat.
Work will be completed to build on the successful implementation of virtual wards at two acute sites, University Hospital Limerick and St. Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin, scaling to a minimum of 25-bedded wards featuring cardiology and respiratory specialties in the initial deployment. Four more virtual wards are planned for 2025, with “more extensive developments” to be expected over the next five years, and the goal being to have at least one significant virtual ward per health region.
The government shares details of its demand and capacity visualisation platform, “a single software approach to the application of visual business intelligence capabilities relating to sustainable improvement in performance”. The platform aims to offer real-time health data and trends across ED, outpatient services, surgery and theatres, diagnostic services, and bed management. Initially deployed to voluntary hospitals in 2025, it will be optimised from 2026 onward, aiming to support capacity and demand decision making with automated information management and analytics-led quality improvement.
On shared care records, earlier in the year focused on the procurement of the technical platform and the contracts for the national shared care record. The remainder of the year will see planning and design completed, a clinical view of secure clinical data repository developed and tested, phase one of data validation completed, and onboarding of clinical users from the first HSE region.
For AI and intelligent automation, the government reports “evidence of positive results” from the use of AI software at the Mater Hospital in Dublin to support the examination of 15,000 patient scans, with early results indicating improved diagnostic accuracy and reduced time to treatment. “The HSE already has a robotic process automation programme in place that is delivering results,” it states. “We will continue to use automation and explore opportunities to leverage AI and its benefits where they become feasible; however as with other digital healthcare technologies, implementation of AI for clinical use must be clinically safe, must only be used in an ethically appropriate manner, and is subject to robust clinical validation and in line with applicable policy and regulations.”
Project deliverables for 2025 include the development of a digital solution to support the enhanced community care programme, with the aim to complete the discovery phase and have the solution scope and final business case approved by Q4. The hospital medicines management system, designed to replace “obsolete” pharmacy software with a national standardised system, will go live in seven different hospitals throughout the year.
Focuses for virtual care and ICT reform include capturing of all publicly-funded image diagnostics in the National Integrated Medical Imaging System, the deployment of a lab diagnostics solution, and the expansion of uses of robotic process automation. The plan notes a focus for intelligent automation for waiting lists, the implementation of AI in clinical and administrative services, and to establish an AI and Automation Centre of Excellence.
Wider trend: AI and virtual care
A recent HTN Now panel discussion focused on the role of digital in helping prepare for winter pressures, offering a range of practical insights and examples, highlighting successes and challenges in ongoing projects, and discussing the role of virtual care in supporting patient journeys. HTN was joined by expert panellists including Patrick Denston, PCN digital transformation and change manager at Frimley ICB; Jamie Griffin, head of commercial at Livi; and Lee Rickles, CIO at Humber Teaching Hospitals.
A further panel discussion in August explored AI in healthcare, with panellists including Neill Crump, digital strategy director at Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust; Anil Mistry, AI safety lead and senior clinical scientist in AI at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust; and Matea Deliu, GP clinical lead and clinical lead for primary care digital delivery, South East London ICB. Our panel focused on sharing their own learnings from recent AI strategies and projects as well as their thoughts on regulations, tackling data bias, through to safety and evaluations.
Google has announced an AI-powered personal health coach to Fitbit tracking services, with plans to roll out a preview of the new functionality in October to premium subscribers who are using the latest Fitbit trackers, Fitbit smart watches and Pixel watches. Built with Google’s AI tool, Gemini, the new personal health coach works as a fitness trainer, sleep coach and health and wellness advisor that can create a bespoke health plan based on goals set by the user. Additional functionality includes custom routines, where detailed workout suggestions and metrics help with weekly progression; real-time check-ins and adjustments to a workout based on lifestyle changes and daily insights; and personalised advice depending on how you’re feeling.
NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB has awarded a contract to health tech supplier, eConsult Health, for the provision of a digital consultation tool to be used throughout GP practices within the region. By using the online or video consultations tool, the ICB hopes to “meet the digital pathways capabilities that support modernising general practice”, which forms part of their wider digital strategy to 2032 where they plan to “use technology to improve patient care”. The contract with eConsult Health begins in October 2025, lasting for 12 months with the option to extend another year if needed and an estimated value of up to £382,680.
