Written answers

Wednesday, 8 March 2017

Department of Health

Health Services Funding

Photo of Martin FerrisMartin Ferris (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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112. To ask the Minister for Health the investment required in the Health Service Executive, HSE, information technology budget to bring it up to the OECD average; the projects that are being held up as a result of lower levels of investment in the HSE information technology budget; the investment that would be required in HSE information technology in order to modernise and bring benefits to the health system; the additional resources that are needed to deliver the digital solutions for waiting list challenges in respect of the approach to funding that has been agreed within the HSE office of the chief information officer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11897/17]

Photo of Simon HarrisSimon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Government acknowledges the need to improve the investment profile for ICT and eHealth in healthcare in Ireland and in the Programme for Partnership Government it is clearly stated that “we will mandate the HSE to engage strategic partners to help with the planning, financing and roll out of a 21st century ICT health infrastructure, working towards the universal use of data to improve integrated care and outcomes across primary and secondary care”.

In order to give a strategic focus to improving the use of eHealth and ICT technology in Irish health care my Department published an eHealth strategy in 2013. Since 2012, the actual capital and revenue expenditure (excluding salaries) on healthcare ICT has risen from €110.0m to €167.3m in 2016. While significant improvements have taken place it is recognised that Ireland's expenditure in this area is below the amount needed to provide the optimum contribution that eHealth and ICT can make and that is why there is now a strategic approach underpinning these investments. The estimated current HSE ICT expenditure for 2017 is around 1.2% (inclusive of capital and revenue but excluding salaries) of all HSE health expenditure. International experience would indicate that a figure between 2% and 3% of total health expenditure would be required, in this strategic area, to provide the requisite investment for modern health environments. Based on 2017 gross vote figures a 2% spend on ICT would amount to a figure €292.0m and 3% of around €438.0m p.a.

In terms of planning the future deployment of ICT the HSE has developed a strategic programme for the rollout of a national electronic health care record that outlines how an improved investment profile could build on the current investments made to date and provide the necessary systems environment to improve patient care and efficiency and also support new models of care. The key areas of focus for these additional systems would be in the acute, primary and community sectors where there is a need to have a shared care record so that GP's and Community Care can see what is happening with patients in a timely way for scheduling and care planning and to maximise improved information sharing across the continuum of the patient journey. In the acute care setting, systems are needed to improve safety and efficiency such as Order Communications and Results Reporting on wards, clinical note taking, closed loop medication and other critical departmental systems for specialist areas such as oncology, nephrology and surgical care. These are the core components that comprise an electronic health care environment and are not currently available in most Irish hospitals.

In relation to the ICT supports for managing waiting list challenges, the Office of the Chief Information Officer of the HSE outlined a number of possible technology solutions that might assist in improving the efficiency of the current arrangements. My understanding is that those specific proposals were capable of being funded within current resources. If there is any further business or technology improvements that can be brought forward by HSE and the National Treatment Purchase Fund then my Department will give these careful consideration and prioritisation when we receive the proposals.

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