Ireland's first national Framework for Health Innovation published

The HSE published this Tuesday 16 June a framework for health innovation, the first of its kind in Ireland. The new strategic framework aims to enable, support and govern innovation across Ireland’s health and social care system.

Commissioned jointly by the HSE’s Chief Technology and Transformation Officer (CTTO) and Chief Clinical Officer (CCO), the framework delivers on the ambitions of Sláintecare and Programme for Government 2025+ and is grounded in the Government's public sector innovation strategy, Making Innovation Real (DPER, 2020).

Staff and partners consultation

Damien McCallion, HSE Chief Technology and Transformation Officer said: “For the first time, every HSE staff member, every region, and every partner organisation has a shared innovation roadmap, one built with them, not imposed upon them. This is how we future-proof Irish healthcare.”

The framework's defining strength is the breadth and depth of its co-design process. Developed in collaboration with innovation practitioners across all HSE Health Regions, the HSE Centre, academic institutions, and industry specialists, it also reflects the perspectives of the Department of Health, Health Innovation Hub Ireland, HealthTech Ireland, and the Irish Platform for Patient Organisations, Science and Industry (IPPOSI).

This unprecedented cross-sector engagement ensures the framework is not an aspirational document - it is actionable, evidence-based, and shaped by the realities of frontline health and social care delivery.

"Scaling what works"

Professor Richard Greene, HSE Chief Clinical Information Officer (CCIO), said “We are not short of innovation in the HSE, we are short of consistent pathways to scale it, and too many good ideas never move beyond pilot. This framework provides the structure, governance and shared vision needed to reduce the loss of valuable innovations, reduce the effort on less valuable projects and maximise the impact of innovation effort across the entire health service.”

Professor Derek O'Keeffe, Consultant Physician, University Hospital Galway said; “Irish healthcare has always been rich in ingenuity. What this Framework adds is the connective tissue to carry a good idea from one ward to the whole system - a structured Innovation Lifecycle, with proportionate governance and evaluation, that turns scattered local brilliance into national capability. It gives us the infrastructure to scale what works.”

Susan Treacy, CEO, HealthTech Ireland, said: “HealthTech Ireland welcomes the HSE’s Framework for Health Innovation as a significant step towards delivering coordinated, system-wide innovation. Through the National Health Collaboration Council, there was strong and robust engagement to progress this work through cross-sector working sessions and bringing international insights to help strengthen the framework.

“This framework creates a more unified pathway for SMEs and innovators, reducing fragmentation and helping ensure solutions can be assessed, adopted and scaled more effectively across the health system. We congratulate the HSE and look forward to supporting their work on delivering innovation value to the system and patients.”

What the framework delivers

Ireland's health system faces unprecedented pressure: rising demand, growing complexity, and significant financial constraints. Innovation is happening, but too often in isolation, without the structures to scale what works. The Framework changes that by establishing:

• A shared national vision for innovation, providing clarity and direction across every level of the health system.
• Proportionate governance, ensuring accountability without bureaucracy, from frontline teams to national leadership.
• A structured Innovation Lifecycle guiding ideas from exploration through testing, evaluation, scaling, and sustained adoption.
• Core enabling principles spanning workforce capability, system learning, culture, partnerships, policy, and digital and data infrastructure, ensuring innovation is intentional, responsible, and embedded in everyday practice.

Designed for everyone committed to better care

The Framework is designed for all those dedicated to improving health and social care from frontline clinicians and service managers to designated authorities, academic partners, industry, and international counterparts. Its purpose is to empower teams at every level to innovate confidently, responsibly, and in alignment with system priorities.

What happens next

Implementation planning is already underway. Priority actions include:

1.  Establishing robust governance structures at national, regional, and local levels

2.  Embedding the Innovation Lifecycle into organisational processes and planning cycles

3.  Building workforce capability and fostering a culture of psychological safety for innovation

4.  Strengthening evaluation frameworks and system learning mechanisms

5.  Developing the digital and data enablers required to support innovation at scale across the system.