HSE Community Care Record building momentum

Following our national webinar in January, the HSE Community Care Record programme (formerly Community Connect) has officially moved into its delivery phase. This marks the beginning of an important new chapter. While our vision remains the same, a single shared digital record for community services, our focus is now firmly on practical implementation, regional readiness and supporting staff through this change.

Interest in the webinar was substantial. Over 2,000 colleagues registered, with approximately 1,500 attending live on the day. All registrants received the recording and follow-up materials afterwards, ensuring broad reach across services, regions and professional groups.

The scale of engagement reflects the relevance of Community Care Record as phased deployment approaches in 2026 and 2027.

Strong impact and positive sentiment

Feedback from attendees demonstrates that the session had a clear and measurable impact.

• 82% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the webinar improved their understanding of Community Care Record
• Attendees rated their excitement about the benefits to their service at an average of 7.8 out of 10

This level of positivity is significant at this stage. Large-scale digital transformation requires both understanding and confidence. The webinar confirmed that both are strengthening nationally.

What colleagues are focused on

Alongside enthusiasm, the session surfaced with thoughtful and practical questions.

Common themes included:

• Training sequencing and readiness activity
• Data migration and legacy records
• Scope of advanced clinical functionality
• Integration with other national systems

As implementation approaches, colleagues are rightly focused on safety, operational impact and governance clarity.

The programme team addressed these themes during the live session and will continue to do so as regional sequencing progresses. While we will provide further updates in advance of each go-live, below are four of the more pertinent queries addressed by the team.

Key questions from the webinar

Will this replace existing local systems immediately?

Community Care Record will replace multiple paper-based and local systems with a single national solution across community services.

The first major feature of Community Care Record will go live in June 2026, providing early functionality to support the delivery of the Single Point of Access (SPOA) across community paediatric services.

The Community Care Record will then be rolled out on a regional basis. The programme will be deployed in its first region, HSE Midwest, from July to November 2026. Then a phased rollout across the remaining Health Regions will take place, with the process concluding in Q4 2027.

How is access to information controlled?

The system meets all of the HSE cybersecurity requirements, to prevent unauthorised access. Within the system, access is role based. Staff can only see information relevant to their role. All access is logged and auditable.

Why do CAMHS and Specialist Palliative Care have advanced clinical functionality from the start?

This is based on readiness and governance.

These services have established national standards and clinical frameworks that support safe use of advanced functionality.

They had pre-existing electronic record system programmes in development prior to Community Care Record, so had completed much of the work required for standardisation. Other services are starting from a different position, but will be able to go-live with service management functionality.

What training and preparation will be provided?

Staff will receive role-based training, supported by Superusers and national training resources. Test and training environments are included as part of programme delivery.

Continuing the conversation

Community Care Record is now progressing through structured readiness and regional sequencing. Delivery has begun, but this remains a collective effort.

The Change Network continues to play a central role. If you have questions arising from the webinar or would like to remain closely involved as implementation progresses, you are encouraged to engage through the Change Network or contact the programme team via the usual Digital for Care channels.

It’s an open and inclusive network, whether you're frontline staff, a manager, or part of a support team, your voice matters. Register your interest and join the network here.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment and engagement as we bring Community Care Record to life.

For more programme information and resources