HSE Strategy and Reform Committee meeting minutes 23 March 2026

Committee Members Present

Tim Hynes (Chair), Brendan Whelan, Matt Walsh, Sarah Barry, Martin Mc Cormack, Derick Mitchell, Barry Lowry, Aogán Ó Fearghail.

Board Members Present

Anne Carrigy.

HSE Executive Attendance

Damien McCallion (CTTO), Camille Staunton (GM Technology and Transformation), Niamh Drew (Deputy Corporate Secretary), Rebecca Kennedy (Office of the Board).

Joined the Meeting

Raied Karim (EHR Programme Director), Richard Greene (Chief Clinical Information Officer), Martina Burns (Technology and Transformation Delivery Director), Fran Thompson (CIO), Brendan Murphy (Chief Medical Information Officer), Tom Laffan (Chief Data and Analytics Officer), Philippa Ryan Withero (A/CPO), Paul Gahan (AND Leadership and Capability), Yvonne Gregory (GM National Employee Relations), Pat Moran (PwC), Neal Mullen (Chief Information Security Officer), Louise O’Hare (AND Sláíntecare Transformation and Innovation Office), Jo Shortt (AND Organisational Change Unit).

Minutes reflect the order in which items were considered and are numbered in accordance with the original agenda. All performance/activity data used in this document refers to the latest information available at the time.

The Committee held a private session to review the agenda, the relevant papers and approach to conducting the meeting, noting that the focus of the meeting would be to receive updates on key items and to suggest relevant actions as they became apparent.

Barry Lowry advised that this meeting would be his last as he is stepping down as a member of the Committee. The Chair thanked Mr Lowry for his contributions to the Committee and wished him well in future endeavours.

2.1 Declarations of Interest

No conflicts of interest were declared.

2.2 Committee Meeting Minutes

The Committee approve the minutes of 19 November 2025.

3.1 National Electronic Health Record (EHR)

EHR Programme Director, Chief Data and Analytics Officer (CDAO), Chief Clinical Information Officer (CCIO), Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO), and Technology and Transformation Delivery Director joined the meeting.

The CTTO updated the Committee on progress on the National EHR Programme which has been renamed to the OHR (One Health Record). The Committee noted papers circulated in advance of the meeting which included updates on: the Business Case, Health Service Transformation, and Technology Transformation Workstreams; Workforce; Programme Management and Risk Management.

The CTTO confirmed that the procurement process is firmly underway. The Committee queried in particular the level of patient and clinical engagement in this process. The CTTO advised that a patient panel and clinical advisory group had been engaged. The Committee also discussed the potential workforce culture challenge around adoption of the OHR.

3.2 Data Strategy

The CDAO updated the Committee on progress on the HSE Data Strategy. The Committee noted papers circulated in advance of the meeting which included updates on two key enablers: Data Governance and Data Management; and Culture and Capability;

The Committee welcomed the work completed to date and noted good progress made since the last update. The Committee discussed the rollout of the strategy and its impact on workforce and patients. The CDAO confirmed that there is regional alignment to ensure appropriate staff receive training and that the move from paper based to digital records will be managed carefully with a staged approach.

EHR Programme Director, CDAO, CCIO, CIO, CMIO, and Technology and Transformation Delivery Director left the meeting.

A/CPO, AND Leadership and Capability and GM National Employee Relations joined the meeting.

The A/CPO updated the Committee on implementation of the People Strategy 2025-2027. The Committee noted the paper circulated in advance of the meeting which included updates on implementation of the People Strategy including: workstreams based on themes of the Strategy; the planned quarterly dashboard; and Risk Management.

The Committee discussed in particular the decentralisation of recruitment to the regions. The A/CPO confirmed that the system is working well, allowing faster recruitment decisions to be made which has translated into increases in directly employed staff.

It was agreed that M Walsh would engage with the A/CPO to discuss further the reporting to the Committee and what elements should be covered by the Performance Committee.

A/CPO, AND Leadership and Capability and GM National Employee Relations left the meeting.

A Carrigy and P Moran joined the meeting and Executive members left the meeting.

5.1 Cyber Security Audit Breifing

P Moran briefed the Committee on the findings of the 2025 annual Cyber (CMMI) and OES Assessment. In line with the 2024 assessment, the 2025 assessment leveraged the NIST 2.0 Cybersecurity Framework (‘CSF’).

5.2 HSE Cyber Security Plan

CTTO, CIO, CISO, AND STIO and GM Technology and Transformation joined the meeting.

The CTTO updated the Committee on the HSE Cyber Security Plan and asset management was highlighted as a current focus. The Committee also discussed the upcoming EU presidency and the importance of good information flow between the HSE and the NCSC.

A Carrigy, P Moran, CIO, and CISO left the meeting.

6.2 Innovation Framework

The CTTO updated the Committee on the development of the HSE Framework for Health Innovation. The Committee noted the paper circulated in advance of the meeting which outlined items including: Progress to Date (Q1 2026); Next Steps (Q2-3 2026); and Risk Assessment. The Framework for Health Innovation was commissioned by the CTTO and CCO and the Committee noted that the draft was approved by the SLT in March 2026. It was agreed that the Committee would continue to receive updates on progress.

B Lowry and AND STIO left the meeting.

AND Organisational Change Unit joined the meeting.

7.1 Integrated Model of Care

The AND Organisational Change Unit updated the Committee on the Health Regions Programme Implementation. The Committee noted the paper circulated in advance of the meeting which included updates on the following: Integrated Service Delivery (ISD) Design Workstream; Operating Models Workstream; and DOH Programme Evaluation.

The AND Organisational Change Unit highlighted to the Committee that ISD structures are now gone live and their recruitment is almost complete. Implementation challenges including continued ER / IR related issues were highlighted and steps taken to address same. The balance between the Centre and the Regions was also noted and it was emphasised that the role of the Centre is to support the regions in implementation while ensuring fidelity to design and consistency as appropriate.

CTTO and AND Organisational Change Unit left the meeting.

8.1 Driving Change and Transforming Services – Quarterly Portfolio Report

The Committee noted the Quarterly Transformation Portfolio Report Q1 2026 and associated documentation submitted by the CTTO and circulated in advance of the meeting. The papers provided a strategic and integrated overview of each of the priority programmes within the HSE Transformation Portfolio. The CTTO highlighted that each of the programmes underpin the delivery of major Sláintecare reforms and other critical service developments.

The Committee noted that updates were provided on 11 out of 12 priority programmes, with disability services still under development. The Committee was encouraged by improved clarity and maturity seen in the reporting. Highlighting the importance of consistency in overall governance of the HSE, the Committee requested a document outlining how HSE strategies align within the organisation.

9.1 CRR Q4 2025 Report

The Committee noted the Q4 2025 Corporate Risk Register (CRR) and accompanying Committee extract and metric report which was provided by the CRO to the Committee in advance of the meeting. The Q4 2025 Corporate Risk Register was reviewed and approved at the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) meeting on 03 March 2026 and was subsequently reviewed by the Audit and Risk Committee on 13 March 2026.

10.1 National Maternity Hospital

The Committee noted the paper circulated in advance of the meeting regarding the National Maternity Hospital and St. Vincent’s University Hospital Programme which was provided by the ND Strategic Health Infrastructure and Capital Delivery. The paper provided updates on areas including the Programme Governance and Resource Mobilisation; Programme Spotlight Updates and Risk Assessment.

10.2 Corporate Plan – Quarterly Report

The Committee noted the National Performance Report (NPR) End of Year 2025 Report and NPR Commentary Report which were provided by the ND Planning and Performance and circulated in advance of the meeting. The papers provided set out the progress in 2025 against the priority actions from the Corporate and National Service Plans.

No matters arose under this item. The meeting ended at 3:33pm.

Terms of Reference: Strategy and Reform Committee