Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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614. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the introduction of electronic health records; if he will consider a period of public consultation with regard to the data collected and its use; and the timeline for the roll-out of e-health records. [22258/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Since 2013 and the publication by the Government of the eHealth Strategy for Irelandgood progress is being made in furthering the eHealth agenda. The strategy sets out a number of objectives and a road map for the delivery and implementation of eHealth, part of which is the development of an electronic health record (EHR) programme. The Office of the Chief Information Officer in the HSE has recently submitted a detailed business case for the programme. My Department is currently evaluating how this might be progressed particularly in delivering an EHR in the context of the work being planned for the New Children’s Hospital which aspires to be the first digital hospital facility in the country. In developing a national electronic health record programme we must build on the progress to date in ICT deployment but also on the lessons learnt from other jurisdictions in developing an optimum solution for Ireland. This programme, if progressed, will require a substantial investment in healthcare ICT. It also offers the opportunity for a more patient centred and a more integrated approach along with significant efficiencies. The business case highlights a number of optional timescales and investment approaches which will need to be considered. The scale of the task in implementing an electronic health record programme is very large and requires a complex procurement and approval process. It is a five to ten year programme of work depending on the scale of resources deployed.

Two current legislative initiatives will help support the EHR - the Health Identifiers Act, 2014 is providing a legal basis for a system of identifiers in the health sector and the Health Information and Patient Safety Bill, currently being drafted, includes provisions for the making of standards to support interoperability of health care computer systems. An EHR implementation will however require a robust legal framework to ensure confidentiality and security of patient data and must be consistent with the new EU data protection regulation, Regulation (EU) 2016/679. My Department is currently examining the appropriate information framework that will provide the optimum environment to support eHealth and the deployment of electronic health records in the future. The health care delivery system straddles both the public and private domains and requires an information governance environment to ensure the right information about the right patient is available securely, in the right place and at the right time. A critically important aspect in the deployment of an EHR is the empowerment of patients to access and partake in managing their own data. In developing new information structures to support health care, substantial engagement with patients and the public will be required along with other stakeholders such as the Office of the Data Protection Commissioners and the Health Information and Quality Authority.