An Leas-Cheann Comhairle:

Everyone is very welcome. I advise members of the constitutional requirement that members must be physically present within the confines of the Leinster House complex to participate in public meetings. I will not permit a member to participate where they are not adhering to this constitutional requirement. Therefore, a member who attempts to participate from outside the precincts will be asked to leave the meeting. In this regard, I ask that members partaking via MS Teams, prior to making their contribution to the meeting, confirm they are on the grounds of the Leinster House campus.

Members are also reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice that they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable or otherwise engage in speech that might be regarded as damaging to the good name of the person or entity. Therefore, if members' statements are potentially defamatory in relation to an identifiable person or entity, I will direct them to discontinue their remarks. It is imperative that members comply with any such direction.

Today, the committee will receive a presentation from sisters Ciara, Saoirse and Laoise Murphy on their project regarding a smartphone app to support emergency healthcare responses. I welcome Ciara, Saoirse and Laoise. They have a busy week as they will be flying to Tokyo on Sunday. I welcome them and everyone else present, including their parents. We also have with us David Willis, Pat O'Callaghan and Eileen O'Callaghan, who have also been involved in giving assistance in the project. I welcome them too. I invite Ciara to give her presentation.

Ms Ciara Murphy:

We extend our sincere thanks to the Leas-Chathaoirleach for the opportunity to present our project, which won the overall award at this year’s BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition. Our project is entitled "ACT – Aid, Care, Treat: App-timising emergency response. A technological aid, featuring a comprehensive repository of medical information - iterative development."

ACT is an innovative emergency response application designed to aid, care and treat an injured party in a medical emergency situation, to enhance and radically improve existing emergency response processes and, ultimately, to save lives. The development of ACT is driven by a commitment to optimise the emergency response process to improve patient outcomes in critical situations. We have created a technological aid that facilitates the direct and instantaneous transmission of an end-user's prepopulated personal and medical information, as well as their geolocation co-ordinates, via a bespoke backend system to the emergency medical services, EMS, in the event of an emergency. It also equips individuals with the tools and guidance to take prompt, potentially lifesaving actions while awaiting professional medical intervention. By harnessing the power of technology for the provision of efficient communication and accurate geolocation data, ACT can improve the existing traditional call-based emergency process and directly contribute to saving lives and minimise the potential adverse effects of emergencies.

ACT addresses a significant gap in the existing emergency response process in Ireland, and, furthermore, has the potential to do so in many international jurisdictions. ACT’s value to both society and the emergency services has been validated by leading personnel in the emergency medicine field, including the key stakeholders with whom we engaged throughout the development of the application. Its broader societal value lies in its ability to save lives, reduce emergency response times and alleviate pressure on the emergency services.

Ms Laoise Murphy:

ACT now stands at the forefront of innovation in emergency response. It has emerged as a highly sought-after solution, as evidenced by numerous expressions of interest for collaboration and its incorporation into prominent initiatives, most notably its integration with the HSE Health App. ACT provides immediate, precise and accurate directions to the emergency services, which is crucial for a quick response in an emergency. ACT will reduce the number of emergency service vehicles dispatched to incorrect locations, which has proven to be a prevalent and critical issue from our research. It will enhance patient survival rates by ensuring timely access to treatment within critical, time-sensitive windows. It will ensure early intervention, which will result in the patient getting to the hospital more quickly and help prevent miscommunication regarding locations caused by panic, language barriers and other issues.

The increasing number of patients dying in Ireland before the arrival of an ambulance at the scene of a medical emergency underscores a critical challenge in EMS response. Recent data reveals a 70% rise in such cases over the past eight years, reflecting a growing pressure on emergency services to meet the demand of timely intervention. These figures highlight the urgent need for strategies to reduce response times and optimise pre-hospital care. This alarming trend not only emphasises gaps in service delivery but also underscores the critical role of digital innovations in improving outcomes for time-sensitive emergencies. By examining these issues, our project explores how targeted interventions can mitigate delays and enhance the effectiveness of emergency systems.

Ms Saoirse Murphy:

In addition to the two key functionalities outlined, the end-users of the app can access a myriad of other features in ACT, including over 30 instructional guides, patient assessment aids, a medication tracker, a first aid kit checklist, danger, response, airway, breathing and circulation, DRABC, and CPR guides.

We specifically designed the application with a focus on simplicity and inclusiveness, ensuring that individuals of all ages and varying levels of technological proficiency can navigate it with ease. This approach minimises the cognitive load on users, making the app particularly effective in high-stress emergency scenarios. ACT has been fully tested and is available in more than 145 different languages, ensuring its direct application in European countries and globally.

By creating and developing ACT, we are actively contributing to advancements in population health. Our project's congruence with this agenda ensures its alignment with current needs, while driving meaningful improvements in public health outcomes. Through this approach, we are addressing critical gaps and fostering innovation in public health management, in line with governmental frameworks including Sláintecare and the National Development Plan 2021-2030. ACT's goal is to achieve optimal health outcomes by focusing on early intervention and co-ordinated care.

The digital health transformation agenda is very prevalent, as evidenced by the discussion on the health information Bill at this committee earlier today. ACT provides the benefits of digital health, ensuring the delivery of effective and safe care to the population. ACT's evolution began with a vision to support, collaborate with and potentially further enhance the capabilities of the National Ambulance Service. However, this has grown substantially, to include engagement and collaboration with the Department of Health, the HSE, An Garda Síochána and Médecins Sans Frontières. These stakeholders are confident that the information provided by ACT will deliver actionable solutions to overcome many of the adversities experienced by the emergency services on a daily basis.

We are truly grateful for the support received throughout the life cycle of our project since its early stages, most notably from Mr. Pat O'Callaghan and Mr. David Willis from the National Ambulance Service in Kerry. We give special thanks also to the national representatives of relevant agencies, particularly the chief information officer of the HSE, Mr. Fran Thompson, the head of IT in the National Ambulance Service, Mr. Brian McKeon, and the assistant secretary at the Department of Health, Mr. Muiris O'Connor, who have assisted enormously with their advice, feedback and close collaboration, which has been greatly beneficial and is highly appreciated.

ACT proposes a transformative opportunity to reshape and strengthen international health systems in Ireland and internationally, marking a pivotal step towards more accessible, efficient and equitable healthcare worldwide. We look forward to showcasing ACT when we represent Ireland next week at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, as well as at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists in Latvia in September. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.

An Leas-Chathaoirleach:

I thank Ciara, Saoirse and Laoise. We only have a brief period of time so I will open it up to the floor for comments that people want to make.

Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome Ciara, Saoirse and Laoise to the committee today. When we met you earlier you said you were honoured. We are honoured to have you here. You have carried out an innovative and practical project which has big implications for prehospital care. You said that from your conversations with the HSE there would be an opportunity to amalgamate this with the HSE app. I ask you to tell us about this.

Ms Ciara Murphy:

We have been very fortunate, as we have mentioned, with the guidance and assistance we have received from the HSE. As we continue the development of our app it is a specific goal that we have. When we first entered the Young Scientist competition and started developing the app, it was our intention to deploy it so it could be utilised by the emergency services and the general public. The stakeholders with whom we engaged have all validated that it is of great benefit to society and the emergency medical services. We are very keen on further collaborating with the HSE on this. We hope to continue this as we expand and grow.

Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Ciara, Saoirse and Laoise for coming today.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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Congratulations and the best of luck in Osaka and Latvia. Often when it comes to the development of apps and innovative use of technology, we find ourselves looking at those who came up with the idea thinking it was just something they stumbled upon. None of you give that impression at all. Not only are you all very capable young women but you are startlingly intelligent. You have a future ahead of you that I hope includes coming back before the health committee to let us know how you are getting on. I would just love to be a fly on the wall in your kitchen to hear your conversations. We could all probably learn quite a bit. The innovation behind this is truly remarkable.

My constituency is very rural and we have some urban parts also. We have what I affectionately called the Bermuda triangles, where we cannot get a mobile phone signal. If something did happen, people would have no way of reaching out for help or support from anybody, whether a family member or an emergency service. I can see real value for my constituents in what you are putting forward. What are your next steps? You have got to this point and you are off to Osaka, not that we are jealous, and then to Latvia. What else do you need to do to the app? Is there anything the health committee can do to support you in this?

Ms Saoirse Murphy:

We hope to continue the development of ACT in the coming years and continue our collaboration with our stakeholders. This is one of our goals. Our hopes are to deploy it and embed it in the HSE Health App. We hope for ACT to reach its maximum potential. To do this we will continue to develop it and continue to work on it until it has reached all its potential.

Ms Ciara Murphy:

Ultimately the goal of the app is to save lives. We have collaborated with the Department of Health and we are very interested in exploring this further. A key element we have grown to appreciate over the past year, since we first began collaborating with our stakeholders, is the value and input they offer. Our role in developing the app is to ensure it will save lives and minimise the potential adverse effects of emergencies. As Saoirse mentioned, we hope to deploy it and ensure this is what it can achieve.

Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome Ciara, Saoirse and Laoise and, more importantly, congratulate them. What you have achieved to date is intriguing and I wish you the very best of luck going forward. It is great timing today because we had the Minister at our earlier meeting and I know you have met her. We were speaking about a new modern IT system, with all patient records readily available for the entire health service. This will take time and it will be expensive but it is connected to what you are doing. I wish you well in the upcoming major events. It is tremendous to see young people involved, especially from the Kingdom and that must be said. It is important. The Leas-Chathaoirleach has very strong links with Kerry through his good wife. I wish Ciara, Saoirse and Laoise the very best. Your work is very important. I am sure we will see and hear a lot of you. The best of luck.

Nicole Ryan (Sinn Fein)
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I am blown away. I thank you for coming before the committee. You are amazing women in STEM and we love to see it. I have no doubt you are going to go very far. I wish you the best of luck. I echo Deputy Clarke in saying that I hope you will come before the committee again. For any aspiring young scientist out there who may be watching this, who has heard of you and who may be following your journey, what advice would you give?

Ms Laoise Murphy:

Great advice we were given is to always be curious, always be thinking of new things and always have an interest in the projects.

We experienced a medical emergency and that is how we started up ACT. That was our personal experience. At that moment, we asked how we could help people in this emergency in the future. Always have a personal interest in your project, stay curious and focus.

Teresa Costello (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome Ciara, Saoirse and Laoise to the committee. What you have done is amazing. Your personal experience is the most important thing because that gives you the drive to move forward. I wish you all the best of luck in the future. No doubt, you will have a huge impact.

Evanne Ní Chuilinn (Fine Gael)
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I am blown away. I am so impressed. I am glad that young girls and women in Ireland have you to look up to because it is so important. I think you will be back before the health committee but I would not be surprised if you were back running the country as well.

Mike Kennelly (Fine Gael)
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This morning, when you contacted me, I was immensely proud as a Kerry person to welcome each of you ladies to the committee this morning and your mum, Theresa, and your dad, Seamus. It is truly historic. To witness your capability right now at a tender young age is phenomenal. I have heard witnesses in other committees who could not even answer some of the questions. Your future is so bright. I am so proud you are from Kerry and will be shouting on a Kerry team out in Osaka. I wish you all the success in the world. You have got this far and the rest is going to open up for you. Well done.

Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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To follow on from what Senator Kennelly said, we have loads of people coming to committees who never answer questions at all or cannot even answer questions but you are well able to answer questions you do not expect. Like everyone said, you are ridiculously impressive and talented. You have a very bright future. As a father of two young kids, I know parents are nearly hoping one of their children will succeed in something of some kind. To be the parents of three incredibly talented young women who can be an inspiration for young women across the country, the parents must have done something right along the way. I congratulate them.

Ms Ciara Murphy:

We can vouch for that.

Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael)
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I am sure they are immensely proud. As you know yourselves, many winners and participants in the Young Scientist went on to achieve great things. You have the potential to exceed any of them, and there are big names there. I wish you well.

Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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I am so sorry I am late; I had to be in the Chamber. I had the pleasure of meeting you briefly earlier. I would just like to say enormous congratulations on the incredible work you have done in your achievements and also to your teachers and family. I know they have been a huge part of what you have achieved. I have no doubt you will go on to achieve much finer things even in the future. It is wonderful we are having a session like this today. Thank you for making the effort to come. I have no doubt we will see many great things from you in the future. I wish you the best of luck in your future studies and in your research. I know this is only the start and certainly not the end of what is to come for the three of you. On behalf of the Labour Party, I am thrilled you are here today and offer best wishes to you all in the future.

An Leas-Chathaoirleach:

I call Senator Boyle, from the other side of the country in Donegal.

Manus Boyle (Fine Gael)
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I might need your help. First of all, congratulations. It is overwhelming what you have done. There is only one way it is going to go and that is up. You should be so proud and so should your parents. It is a really good story that is starting to come right and will save lives. Sometimes, when you tune in to the Seanad you might hear me on about the ambulance service. Last week, it was defibrillators. I might need to come to you to get a wee bit of advice on how Google would help me. I wish you the best of luck in Osaka. I am sure you will take the trophy home. Congratulations and well done.

Garret Kelleher (Fine Gael)
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I echo the sentiments of previous speakers. It is massively impressive. As somebody who worked in the healthcare industry, the storage of patient information and moving on from pen and paper to more centralised data storage within hospitals is key to making progress and delivering better outcomes for our patients. Your app will play a role in that regard, hand in hand, as Deputy Daly said, with the HSE app and the possibilities in that regard. I have no doubt the future is very bright. There is huge scope for future growth with the development of your app and ideas. I think Ciara made the point that you will not stop until you have delivered the optimum of what you have to offer, so there is more to come. I hope the HSE embraces the technology you have come up with. Like everybody else, I have no doubt that you will be hugely successful in Osaka and Latvia. I hope you enjoy the experience. Thank you for your attendance. It was a pleasure to listen to all three of you.

An Leas-Chathaoirleach:

I thank members and people who came along today for their contributions. Do you want to say a final few words before we finish up?

Ms Ciara Murphy:

A sincere thanks to all of you for making the effort. We were honoured to be invited to speak. I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach again for that opportunity. We are very excited about the future in terms of the digitalisation of patient health records and all of the possibilities that will come with in the field of emergency medicine.

Ms Saoirse Murphy:

Thank you so much for your attention. It means the world to us because this kind of confirmation inspires us to keep on moving. It drives us to move forward.

An Leas-Chathaoirleach:

I apologise on behalf of the Chair of the health committee; it is a very busy time in Leinster House. The Taoiseach is answering questions while you are in here. Unfortunately, the Chair had a commitment in the Dáil. Apologies that he could not be here. Thank you again for your contributions. I thank your parents and all the people who gave assistance to you in getting the project to the stage it is at. I wish you every success in your future endeavours and in the events you are now going forward to. I know this is not the only time you will be in to the health committee into the future.