National rollout of the Hospital Medicines Management System (HMMS) across HSE sites

The Hospital Medicines Management System (HMMS) is a national HSE project designed to replace the legacy Pharmacy departments’ software in the HSE and HSE- funded public facilities where Pharmacy software is deployed. As a priority programme under the Digital for Care 2030 Framework, HMMS is central to modernising medicines management and strengthening the digital foundation of hospital pharmacy services across Ireland.

HMMS provides a single, robust, and scalable software solution that supports all aspects of medicines supply within acute hospital and community services settings.

With approximately 95 acute hospital and community services pharmacy departments across the country, HMMS delivers a scalable and reliable national platform that supports day-to-day operations and long-term strategic planning.

Collaboration Driving Success

The project’s success to date is built on strong collaboration between:

• Local Pharmacy Teams (hospital and community services);
• Hospital Management;
• Finance Teams;
• The HMMS National Project Team;
• Technology and Transformation (TT) HMMS Project Management Team;
• HMMS Vendor.

Together, these teams are delivering a single-instance national system that enables:

• Safer, more efficient patient care;
• Standardised single drug file
• Enhanced procurement functionality;
• Greater operational efficiency within pharmacy departments.

Phase I: Complete

Following successful deployment in Galway University Hospital and Merlin Park Hospital in 2023, further rollouts paused temporarily to allow integration with the Individual Health Identifier (IHI). This API development enabled creation of a single national HMMS patient record, a milestone delivered in January 2025.

During 2025, seven sites went live with HMMS:

• The Rotunda Hospital;
• St Vincent’s University Hospital;
• Phoenix Pharmacy, at St Mary’s in the Park;
• Children’s Health Ireland Crumlin;
• South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital Cork;
• Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown;
• Tallaght University Hospital.

Phase I has already demonstrated clear benefits, including improved standardisation, enhanced safety, and increased efficiency. Feedback from staff and stakeholders acrossall sites has been overwhelmingly positive.

Phase II: In progress (2026-2027)

Phase II began with the successful deployment of HMMS in Beaumont Hospital on 26 January 2026. Captured on the left are Beaumont Pharmacy staff and management, HMMS National Office staff, TT Project Managers (PM) and Vendor PM’s on site for first HMMS deployment of 2026.The strong outcomes achieved to date have been driven by the readiness and commitment of local site teams working closely with the HMMS National Project Team to ensure seamless transitions.

Phase III: In planning (2027-2028)

Phase III will build on previous successes, with plans to replace Pharmacy department software across 54 sites in 17 deployments covering both acute hospitals and community services pharmacy departments. Planned developments for the next phase will introduce a range of advanced national capabilities designed to further streamline digital medicine management workflows. These additions will enhance how information moves across systems, strengthen financial processing, and improve the consistency and accuracy of medicine related data used across all sites. Together, they will support smoother operations, better national alignment, and a more connected digital ecosystem for hospital pharmacy services.

Looking Ahead

Although busy months ahead, the dedication and collaborative approach adopted by the HMMS National Team/local hospital teams/TT PM's and our vendor is what continues to drive the project forward - ensuring Ireland's acute hospitals and community services pharmacy departments are equipped with modern, safe, and efficient digital infrastructure for the future.