Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
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193. To ask the Minister for Health for a report on introduction of the national shared care record; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [64087/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The National Shared Care Record (NSCR) is a cornerstone of the Government’s Digital for Care strategy, designed to create a single, integrated digital health record for every citizen. This transformative initiative is being delivered by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in alignment with Sláintecare principles, ensuring better continuity of care, enhanced patient safety, and improved access to health information across all services.

Following a competitive procurement process, The Health Service Executive (HSE) completed the procurement for the National Shared Care Record (NSCR) technology platform and associated services earlier this year. The NSCR programme has now been mobilized, with the contract for building the NSCR being awarded in Q2 2025.

The NSCR will provide clinicians a unified view of patient records aggregated from multiple systems, while enabling patients and carers to access clinical details to support informed decision-making. By consolidating existing digital data for key categories that underpin integrated care, the NSCR will improve safety, reduce duplication, and free up time for direct patient care.

The programme is now mobilised, with development underway. A pilot deployment in Waterford/Wexford planned is for Q4 2025, allowing clinicians and patients to access shared records and test integration with current systems. Insights from this pilot will shape subsequent phases, with a staged national roll-out in 2026 and 2027.

The National Shared Care Record is being developed in full compliance with GDPR and aligned with the emerging European Health Data Space (EHDS) framework. This ensures lawful, transparent, and secure data processing, robust consent management, and interoperability standards to support cross-border healthcare where needed.

The Department of Health and HSE is committed to delivering the national shared care record as part of the broader Digital for Care strategy—driving improvements in patient safety, access, and experience, while reducing administrative burden, supporting clinical decision-making, and enabling better use of data for population health and service planning.