The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, has received Government approval for the Health Service Executive (HSE) to begin the procurement phase for the national Electronic Health Record (EHR), marking a significant milestone in the modernisation of Ireland’s health service.
This investment in digital capability represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernise Ireland’s health infrastructure, delivering safer, smarter and more connected care for decades to come.
The Government’s approval follows completion of the Preliminary Business Case and independent external assurance processes, confirming compliance with the State’s Infrastructure Guide- lines.
The National EHR will be the largest digital transformation project in the his- tory of the health service, delivering one secure, integrated digital health record for every patient in Ireland. This will ensure that healthcare professionals have timely access to accurate information, improving safety, reducing duplication, and enabling care that is better co-ordinated across hospitals, GPs, and community services. Patients will also benefit from greater access to their own health information, empowering them to manage their care more effectively.
Minister Carroll MacNeill said: “This is a landmark step in delivering a modern, connected health service that puts patients first. The National Electronic Health Record programme will be central to patients receiving safer, faster, and more integrated care, supporting clinicians and improving outcomes for everyone.
“Electronic health records for patients was identified by Sláintecare as a key enabler for the reform and modernisation of the Irish health service and will ensure Ireland meets the highest international standards for patient safety and data security.”
HSE Chief Executive Officer Bernard Gloster added: “The National EHR is central to our vision for a digitally enabled health service. It will transform how care is delivered by giving clinicians the tools they need to provide timely, co-ordinated care and empowering patients with access to their own health information. This investment represents a seminal change in how our healthcare services will interact with patients long into the future. The benefits from an EHR system are many and impact on access, safety, quality of outcome and patient power. The impact of this decision by the Minister and Government will be visible for many years to come.”
Currently, patient records are fragmented and largely paper-based. Clinicians often lack access to real-time data, and patients cannot easily access their own health information. The National EHR will address these issues by enabling data to follow the patient, supporting integrated care and reducing the administrative burden.
The move to vendor shortlisting builds on significant progress under the ‘Digi- tal for Care’ strategy, including:
- HSE Health App: Over 122,000 peo- ple registered and more than 200,000 downloads since its launch last year, giving patients access to appointments and health information.
- Maternal and Newborn Clinical Man- agement System: Now live in five major maternity hospitals, meaning 70% of babies born in Ireland have a digital health record.
- National Shared Care Record: Building on momentum to date, the Shared Care Record programme will continue to scale this year, with the next release scheduled for April 2026 release delivering new functionality. This next phase will better connect patient information across services, supporting more seamless, coordinated and safer care.
- Virtual Wards: Operational in mul- tiple hospitals, bringing hospital-level care into patients’ homes.
