John Brassil (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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401. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the roll-out of a national system of electronic health records; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53057/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Since the publication of my Departments eHealth strategy, a National Electronic Health Record Strategic Business Case has been approved and there has been significant progress in the development of plans to procure and deliver the components and capabilities necessary for an Electronic Health record.

The scale of the task to implement a national E.H.R. programme is considerable and both the schedule and pace of implementation will vary according to a number of factors including technical readiness of each site implementation. It is a long-term programme within the context of the overall eHealth strategy that will be supported by Sláintecare and the National Development Plan.

The endorsement of the E.H.R. programme is a key recommendation in the Sláintecare Report which advocated for the “continued strong support of the e-health strategy - particularly ensuring the necessary funding for timely roll-out of the EHR system". The Sláintecare Implementation Strategy outlines strategic actions on eHealth including that of a national E.H.R. solution, particularly in the context of the new children's hospital development.

A plan for the implementation of an Acute Electronic Health Record in the new children's hospital is currently being drafted. In addition, plans are being formulated for E.H.R. business case progression in other healthcare settings by my Department, in collaboration with the HSE.