By Dr Alan Smith, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, National Screening Service
We’ve developed a comprehensive plan that will enhance how we govern, manage, and use our data to improve our screening programmes and the care of our screening participants.
Our Data Ecosystem Roadmap 2025 to 2030 will set us on a journey of digital transformation that will strengthen how we deliver our screening programmes. This journey is about more than modern technology – it’s about creating better experiences and outcomes for everyone who takes part in our screening programmes.
Why data matters in healthcare
The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) emphasises that "accurate, relevant and timely data is essential in order to improve health and social care, to inform decision-making, monitor diseases, organise services, inform policymaking, conduct high-quality research and plan for future health and social care needs".
Becoming an organisation that is driven by data, and actively engaging in real-time monitoring, will enable us to demonstrate our performance and identify strategic opportunities for service development and continuous quality improvement.
Using the best information and technologies will enable us to enhance our decision-making capabilities and deliver a safe and responsive service that meets the needs of our screening participants.
Building a better future
Our roadmap is our response to the increasing digitalisation in healthcare, evolving regulations, including the European Health Data Space and the Health Information Bill 2024, and growing public expectations for data transparency and security.
It aligns with more recent broader public sector initiatives, including the Public Service Data Strategy and the Department of Health’s digital health care framework for Ireland: Digital for Care 2030.
We consulted across our organisation and engaged with the Department of Health, the HSE Technology and Transformation Office, and other government departments as we developed the roadmap.
Our journey to digital transformation
Our vision is to establish a data ecosystem that improves how we govern, manage, and securely use data for the benefit of everyone who takes part in our screening programmes. This aligns with broader HSE initiatives to use data more strategically across healthcare in Ireland. Our roadmap focuses on four key areas:
- Strengthening governance and quality: refining data management policies and ensuring regulatory compliance.
- Improving infrastructure: organising our data in a more effective way and making sure our systems work well together.
- Developing our people: improving data literacy and fostering a data-driven culture.
- Advancing analytics: implementing better reporting systems and expanding our ability to make evidence-based decisions.
What this means for our screening participants
Our digital transformation is not just about technology – it’s about people.
For our screening participants, this means easier access to health data, empowering people to make informed decisions about their care. We are working with the HSE Technology and Transformation Office towards enabling screening participants to conveniently manage appointments, view test results, and communicate with our screening programmes through patient portals and mobile apps.
There's also potential to integrate additional health data. This would enhance personalised care by giving healthcare professionals more insights into individual health patterns and needs. This could lead to more effective and tailored screening, follow-up, and treatment.
We aim to be recognised as a leader in healthcare data management by 2030, setting an elite standard for others to follow. By becoming a truly data-driven organisation, we are committed to delivering safer, more responsive screening services that better meet the needs of our screening participants today, while preparing for the healthcare challenges of tomorrow.