Programme

Panel 3: Prevention & Risk Reduction Reducing Risk Before Illness Develops

11:00 - 11:45

Prevention is about lowering population risk and reducing the likelihood of disease before it occurs. This panel will focus on strengthening screening participation, tackling hypertension and stroke risk, and delivering targeted outreach in communities where uptake remains low.

Panellists will explore how behaviour change can be realistically supported, how prevention can be embedded into primary care and community settings, and what measurable impact is being seen. The emphasis is on reducing risk factors, improving population health and easing long-term system pressure.

Invisible Patients, Invisible Data: Co-Designing a Safer, Connected Digital Pathway for Complex Care at Home.

11:00 – 11:25

A Home Artificial Nutrition Case Study

This session will explore how patients receiving complex treatment at home can become less visible when there is no consistent national system for tracking their care and outcomes. It will draw on patient and carer experience, supported by clinical evidence from Dr Vikrant Parihar, and examine gaps in information sharing between hospitals, community services, providers, patients and carers.

It will also look at the patient-safety risks created by fragmented monitoring of infections, incidents, equipment failures, supply issues and escalation pathways.

Workshop: From Voice to Influence - Building Partnerships That Change Outcomes

11:00 - 12:30

Being heard is one thing. Being involved in decisions that affect patients is another. This hands-on session, designed around feedback from patient organisations across Ireland, tackles the real challenges of engaging with policymakers, health services, and industry. Through short talks, peer discussion, and a practical toolkit, this workshop will equip you with concrete approaches to strengthen your advocacy and make your partnerships more productive.

Panel 4: Early Detection & Diagnostics From Suspicion to Diagnosis: Making Timely Detection the Norm

11:45 - 12:30

Timely diagnosis remains a critical determinant of patient outcomes. This panel will explore the full diagnostic pathway, from initial clinical suspicion through to confirmed diagnosis, and the factors that influence speed, accuracy and equity. While imaging and laboratory capacity remain essential, the discussion will also examine broader system challenges, including diagnostic pathways, clinical decision-making, and the complexity of identifying less common, non-specific, invisible or fluctuating conditions.

Panellists will consider where delays and missed diagnoses occur, how pathways can be strengthened across primary and specialist care, and the role of AI and digital tools in supporting earlier and more accurate detection. The focus is on how to deliver timely, consistent and patient-centred diagnosis across Ireland.

Case study:Digital Workforce, Safer Care: Using Technology to Strengthen Temporary Healthcare Staffing

11:30 - 11:55

This session Healthcare transformation depends not only on new models of care, but on having the right workforce available to deliver them, including safe and effective use of temporary and agency staff. This case study will explore how digital workforce technology can improve the management and deployment of temporary healthcare staff, providing greater visibility of availability, skills, compliance and staffing gaps across healthcare and care services.

Using a real-world implementation, the session will examine how automation can reduce administrative burden, improve shift fulfilment and communication with temporary staff, and strengthen checks around professional registration, training and compliance. It will also consider how better workforce data can help identify fatigue, working-time risks and over-reliance on individuals working across multiple organisations. The focus will be on what changed in practice and how smarter management of the temporary workforce can support safer staffing, greater resilience and continuity of patient care. .

A representative of Panther Software

Case study: Connected Care EHR and Shared Records in Action

12:00 – 12:30

This session will explore the real-world implementation of Electronic Health Records and shared care records within an Irish healthcare setting. It will examine workflow redesign, integration challenges and the practical realities of interoperability across hospital, primary care and community services. The focus will be on what measurably changed following deployment, including improvements in information access, care coordination and patient experience. Attendees will gain insight into what worked, what proved difficult and what others should consider when planning connected digital systems.

Closed

11:45 – 12:30

Keynote 2: Right Care, Right Place, Right Time: What It Means for Patients

13:30 – 13:45

Damien McCallion will explore how Ireland’s health reform is shifting care away from fragmented, hospital-led services towards more integrated care, earlier intervention and treatment closer to home. He will look at what this transformation means for access, waiting times, patient pathways and the experience of receiving care across Ireland.

Closed

13:30 – 13:45

Closed

13:30 – 13:45

Panel 6: Care Beyond the Hospital Delivering Integrated Community Care

14:30 - 15:15

As healthcare shifts from hospital-centred models to community-based delivery, integration becomes essential. This panel will explore how hospital-at-home programmes, chronic disease management pathways, palliative care provision and strengthened primary care integration are reshaping patient experience. long-term management, independence and quality of life.

Panellists will also examine the role of disability services and palliative care within community reform, alongside the importance of consistent referral pathways to ensure patients receive timely, coordinated support. The discussion will focus on practical examples of service redesign that reduce hospital dependency while maintaining safety, quality and accountability.

Group Discussion: Caring for the Whole Person: A Biopsychosocial Approach to Health and Care

14:30 – 15:10

This interactive discussion will explore how biological, psychological and social factors shape people’s experiences and outcomes across the patient journey, including the transition from paediatric to adult services, diagnosis, treatment, adaptation and long-term management.

While healthcare often focuses on clinical outcomes, emotional wellbeing, communication, social context and practical support can be just as important to quality of life and engagement with care. Bringing together patient voices and healthcare professionals, the session will explore where current approaches fall short and how more holistic, person-centred care can be delivered in practice.