Putting patients at the centre of future care
"At the heart of every health record is a person, often at one of the hardest moments of their lives."
Gillian McMahon, Digital Health, Deloitte Ireland.
We’ve all sat in a GP’s surgery or at a hospital consultant’s appointment, either for ourselves or someone we love, listening as a clinician asks for dates, medications, symptoms or previous treatments. There's often a sense that something important might be missed as it’s not always easy to recall all the details accurately under pressure.
For us here at Deloitte, this is the exact moment digital health is designed to change.
Across Ireland, Deloitte’s digital health teams are working at the centre of a profound shift, helping to design and deliver systems that bring together fragmented information into a single, connected view of each patient. The ambition is one health record accessible wherever care is delivered.
This is a reimagining of how care flows through the system. It’s an ambition where clinicians have access to a complete, real-time view of a patient’s history, decisions are faster, more informed and safer, and where patients no longer have to repeat their story at every touchpoint.
It has always struck me whenever I talk about my job to friends or colleagues I very quickly hear about their journey through the health system.
Gillian McMahon, Digital Health, Deloitte Ireland.
“And at the heart of any health record is a person going through that process – often during some of the hardest moments in their lives. That perspective shapes how we approach digital health transformation, ensuring that behind every system design has a clear focus on human outcomes.”
By connecting data across hospitals, primary care and community settings, a single health record aims to create continuity. It reduces duplication, removes reliance on memory and allows every clinician involved in a patient’s care to work from the same, complete picture.
“It’s one story, told once,” points out Gillian McMahon. “The benefits of having easy access to the full patient history are considerable.”
The impact is already being felt. In a system under pressure, where time, resources and clarity are in short supply, connected digital health infrastructure supports better care coordination and more effective decision-making. It does not solve every challenge overnight, but it lays the foundation for a more resilient, responsive health service.
Looking ahead, the opportunity extends even further. As Ireland advances its national digital health and AI strategies, the focus is shifting towards more predictive, personalised care, where insights drawn from connected data can help anticipate needs, intervene earlier and improve outcomes at scale.
