Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Technology and innovation offer some unique opportunities to support and improve home and community care services in keeping people well, and provide support for them in their communities and homes whenever they may require health and social care assistance.

Peoples willingness to adopt solutions that are enabled through technology was demonstrated throughout the pandemic, which required many people to use telehealth solutions to maintain social distancing, and use online solutions to register for tests, vaccination appointments and to receive their digital covid certificate. Ireland also witnessed the most rapid adoption of a covid tacker app in the world. Numerous surveys by patient representative organisations also demonstrate an appetite for technology enabled solutions, provided these are not to the exclusion of traditional ways of accessing health services.

Following on from the learnings from COVID-19, the National Telehealth Steering Committee was established and now governs the HSE’s Telehealth Programme. In April 2023, it set up a dedicated Telehealth Working Group with the mandate to develop a Telehealth Roadmap for Ireland. The HSE published ‘HSE Telehealth Roadmap 2024-2027: Building Blocks for the Embedding & Expansion of Telehealth’ – to guide future developments in this area- on the 1st December 2023.

The telehealth programme is also developing acute virtual wards which are defined as a safe and efficient alternative to bedded care that is enabled by technology. Virtual Wards support patients who would otherwise be in hospital to receive acute care, monitoring, and treatment in their own home, thus preventing avoidable hospital admissions, or supporting early discharge. This programme of work has significant potential to deliver efficiency and effectiveness across services in both community and homecare settings. Foundational work for this has been completed and the HSE will progress two significant virtual ward projects in Limerick and Dublin in 2024.

In terms of homecare specifically, the HSE has deployed InterRai as a system that brings consistency and transparency to the assessment of need for homecare supports.

The HSE are also running two programmes to trial the use of ‘Digital Supportive Technologies to enable increased service user independence and enhanced Home Care’, including increased independence and enhanced homecare for older persons. This is particularly important, as a Statutory Homecare scheme is developed, in order to offer people choice and ensure that this service design is optimised through the adoption of enabling digital technologies.

The procurement of an IT system for home support by the HSE is also underway. This system will facilitate, manage and streamline the application process from receipt of application to decision on service entitlement and make it easier for people to make these applications online. It will also link with InterRAI and include case management and eRostering capabilities for staff.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that this is a matter for the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.