Dr Colm Henry Digital transformation across the HSE | Transforming Healthcare

In this episode of Transforming Healthcare – The People Behind the Progress, Joyce Shaw (Chief of Staff, HSE Technology & Transformation) is joined by Dr Colm Henry, Chief Clinical Officer in the HSE. Dr Henry discusses the digital transformation underway across the HSE — what patients expect from healthcare in 2026, why real-time access to information matters, and how digital should support clinicians to spend more time with patients. He also reflects on patient safety, clinical audit and quality, how we should judge success, and why clinician and service-user involvement is essential as digital ways of working expand. Topics include: expectations of care in 2026 • electronic healthcare record and shared care record • safety, quality and clinical audit • clinician-led design • clinical governance in a digital environment • responding to change fatigue. 00:00 – Welcome and introduction 00:28 – What “digital transformation” means in practical terms 01:50 – What integrated digital care enables (example from a London hospital) 02:55 – What digital should improve for staff day to day 04:44 – Patient safety, quality and the limits of paper-based systems 06:48 – How to judge whether digital transformation is working 07:57 – What supports adoption: clinician-led design and service-user input 09:44 – Updating the Clinical Governance Framework for regions and digital care 11:47 – A message to staff experiencing change fatigue 13:44 – Closing remarks