Dublin’s integrated healthcare conference on September 3, 2026, brought over 2,000 attendees together at the Convention Centre Dublin to debate the future of patient care across hospitals, primary care, and community settings amid sweeping regional reforms.
HSE’s Integrated Healthcare Conference 2026: Balancing Local Innovation Against Systemic Bottlenecks in Dublin
Regionalisation Realities and the Challenge of Scaling Up Local Innovation
More than 2,000 professionals gathered at the Convention Centre Dublin on Thursday 3 September for the Health Service Executive’s Integrated Healthcare Conference 2026. Against the backdrop of a two-year structural overhaul creating six distinct health regions, delegates scrutinized the realities of merging acute hospital networks with local primary care networks. Over 400 project posters lined the venue, showcasing grass-roots innovations from HSE teams nationwide that organizers hope to replicate broadly.
Outlining the current state of health, outgoing HSE board Chair Ciarán Devane highlighted a paradox during his final annual address: Ireland has recorded the highest self-reported good health status in the European Union for four consecutive years. Over 80 per cent of men and just under 80 per cent of women are saying they are in good, or very good health….So something is going right. Now, that is bigger than the HSE and bigger than health itself, of course, but it is a fantastic position to be in,
Devane noted, adding that workforce numbers have swelled over the past decade thanks to substantial capital input and policy evolution.
Yet Devane cautioned that current funding peaks are unsustainable. He stressed that streamlining e-health infrastructure and cutting down stubborn hospital waitlists remain urgent priorities. Speaking separately to the Medical Independent, Devane pointed out that local hospitals seizing the initiative under regionalization represents the brightest spot of the structural reforms. However, translating those localized triumphs into widespread national practice remains the core hurdle. Each of the 20 newly formed integrated health areas, or IHAs, must systematically catalog and share successful projects to drive overarching progress.
Delivering Integrated Care at the Community Interface
Bridging the gap between acute hospitals and local neighborhoods formed a central pillar of the day’s discussions. Clinicians from both sectors shared frontline evidence during a morning session dedicated to impact-driven integration. Dr John Butler, a consultant geriatrician at Sligo University Hospital and part of the Sligo/Leitrim/West Cavan/South Donegal Integrated Care Team for Older People, reported tangible drops in emergency department admissions among older demographics.
For Dr Butler, true integration is essentially getting the right care, for the right person, at the right time, and in the right place,
which frequently means treating patients right inside their own residences or nearby primary care hubs. Describing daily operations, Dr Butler explained to the Medical Independent that I think from an integrated care perspective [the best thing for staff] is that we are co-located and we work together.
He added that Putting integration into practice means that you cross each other’s borders. So, the hospital teams don’t just stay in the hospital, and the community teams don’t just stay in the community. You cross the interface regularly and we have quite a bit of that. That really helps, certainly from a community perspective.
Devane echoed these sentiments by pointing to preventative wins like the chronic disease management program and the respiratory syncytial virus immunisation drive for newborns, which have successfully dampened acute hospital admissions. Still, health leaders agreed that achieving the ultimate goal of routing patients to the correct care environment requires fixing persistent staffing gaps, particularly when expanding services across weekends.
Weekend Rostering Realities and the Public-Only Consultant Contract
The practicalities of moving toward a six- and seven-day health service sparked intense debate across panels. Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill used her onstage interview with broadcaster Brian Dobson to champion the public-only consultant contract as a key driver for evening and weekend rostering flexibility.
However, medical bodies have pushed back on the operational realities of extended working weeks. Prof Mick Molloy, chair of the Irish Medical Organisation consultant committee, warned in a recent statement that assigning consultants to Saturdays without matching support services diminishes productivity. This is why hospitals are in some cases slower to roster consultants on a Saturday,
Prof Molloy stated, noting that the contract permits such shifts, but current frameworks lack provisions for the necessary auxiliary staff.
Dr Butler echoed these warnings from a clinical standpoint, noting that while weekday operations run smoothly from nine to five, weekend shifts often leave doctors isolated. I don’t have the whole team with me,
he noted of his weekend hospital duties, emphasizing that community support structures must scale up in tandem to prevent emergency departments from remaining the sole functional weekend options.
Clinical Leadership Reviews and the Electronic Health Record Deficit
Structural friction is also evident in leadership roles. Prof Pat Nash, regional clinical director for HSE West and North West, offered attendees an early look at an unpublished internal review of the clinical director role. A survey conducted for the review revealed that half of respondents rated the current model as having only average effectiveness. Only 12 per cent felt they could influence resource allocation, while 80 per cent reported heavy responsibility without matching administrative authority.
Compounding these leadership hurdles is Ireland’s lagging e-health infrastructure. While HSE CEO Anne O’Connor urged the service to harness local momentum to redesign patient pathways, speakers repeatedly noted that outdated digital systems stall integrated care.
Devane stressed that implementing an electronic healthcare record goes far beyond installing software; the real test lies in using population data effectively. Dr Butler agreed, noting that an interoperable digital record would ensure that data follows the patient, not the service.
Pointing to practical clinical scenarios, Dr Butler explained that From an interface level, a live electronic health record that everyone can access no matter where you are working would help,
noting that patchy rural wi-fi in parts of Sligo and Leitrim currently impedes seamless digital coordination.
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