This new Framework was developed through extensive consultation with key stakeholders across the health and social care service including patients, healthcare professionals and staff, industry, and innovator groups. The approach has been shaped by the challenges and demands the health service faces, feedback from patients and our workforce, research of other healthcare systems, global trends, and emerging opportunities. This Framework also has taken on board experience from other countries, developments in the digital health industry, the expectations of patients and healthcare professionals, national and EU and international obligations.

The Framework defines a Vision and Mission for Digital Health in Ireland. These are supported by six principles that describe how we will deliver on this vision which will guide investment and provide clear direction in building up strong digital health infrastructure and capabilities.

The ICT environment supporting the provision of health and social care services to the public in Ireland is the largest of its kind in the State, providing 24/7 services to over 70,000 people across 2,000 interwoven systems and applications.

There are six principles to the Digital Health Framework.

Patient as an Empowered Partner: We will empower patients by giving them broader access to their own health information through a patient app, provide access to more digital health services, including virtual care offerings, whilst enabling greater autonomy and choice over their care options.

Workforce and Workplace: We will enable our workforce by providing them with the technology, systems, and skills they need to deliver the best possible care and services to patients in the modernised healthcare service.

Digitally Enabled and Connected Care: We will drive future investment and make architectural decisions based on the ability of systems to share clinical information and deliver connected care. We will make it possible for healthcare professionals, and others who support delivery of care, to be able to access the information they need about their patients when and where they need it, regardless of where those patients were treated previously.

Data Driven Services: We will leverage data analytics, business intelligence, visualisation, dashboards, and other digitally enabled management tools to provide greater insights into the health service and its operation. This will create opportunities for increased productivity, efficiency and more precise direction of resources to areas of greatest need, and where they will have the maximum impact.

Digital Health Ecosystem and Innovation: We will embed continuous improvement within the health and social care service. This will be enabled by innovation via improving ongoing collaboration, improved procurement pathways, increased participation, and promoting research excellence. This strategic principle also details key considerations for the digital health ecosystem as we prepare for the technologies of the future.

Digitally Secure Foundations and Digital Enablers: We will continue to build cyber resilience and put in place the key enablers needed to deliver this digital health strategic roadmap, underpinned by strong governance, culture and change, standards, interoperability, infrastructure, architecture, and legislation.

The Programme for Government and the Committee of Future of Healthcare - Sláintecare Report, states that to deliver universal healthcare digital health services are key enablers for reform, to deliver care more effectively, for empowering patients to access their own medical records, managing their own care, providing more services in the community, and accessing health services closer to home. The role of digital in delivering health services is also articulated in Government's “Harnessing Digital - The Digital Ireland Framework.”