Welcome to our newsletter.
The recent cyber attack on Irish health services has had a significant negative impact on our health and social care system. The impact on services has been enormous, and we acknowledge that this is a difficult time for people using services and staff.
The need for a secure, well-governed and well-resourced health information system in Ireland is essential and something that HIQA has been raising for over 10 years. We are currently developing a research paper on the need for reform in health information in order to achieve the Sláintecare vision of an integrated healthcare service.
Health information challenges were also raised in our recent review of the National Information Management System (NIMS) within the Health Service Executive (HSE). The review identified 10 recommendations that the HSE and State Claims Agency need to implement in order to improve information management and governance of the data collection system.
As a result of the cyber attack, we have had to postpone the National Inpatient Experience Survey until later in the year. Patients who had spent time in hospital in May were due to receive a survey asking them about their experience later this month, however the impact of the attack on HSE systems has made this impossible. Hearing the views of people using services is essential to improving the quality of services, and so we hope to run the survey again in September.
Our Annual Report for 2020, published last week, also highlights the importance of service users’ voices. It outlines what residents, including children in care, told us about their experiences of COVID-19 and the increased concerns we received about services from relatives who feared for their loved ones during the pandemic. The report provides detail on how we responded to the pandemic in regulating health and social care services and developing evidence and advice for the National Public Health Emergency Team, while also continuing to fulfil our remit across other functions.
This issue of the newsletter also provides an update on our work in residential centres for older people and people with disabilities. Our inspectors have found that the vaccination rollout is having a positive impact on people in these services, and we are engaging with residents to find out their views on living in these services.
We also continue to provide evidence synthesis on COVID-19 to the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) to inform the public health response to the pandemic. Recently, our advice on immunity and mass gatherings has impacted NPHET’s recommendations to Government. As the country slowly reopens, this will remain a key focus for us to ensure public health is informed by the most up-to-date evidence.
Until next time,
Best wishes,
Phelim Quinn