HIDS Business and Technical Teams unite under the CDAO
The 25th of April 2025 was a milestone day when HIDS Business and HIDS Technical came together for the first time under the new shared umbrella of the office of the Chief Data and Analytics Office (CDAO). The aim of this first joint team day, held in Southgate in Drogheda, was for the business and technical teams to get to know each other better, reflect on shared successes, celebrate their collaborative working results and further strengthen team connections. Facilitating the team day, Sean Toner from T&T Training and Development kicked off the morning with gauging how everyone was feeling that day, using his unique sheep scale! This allowed everyone to have some time to introduce themselves to the wider team. There were many members of both HIDS Technical and HIDS Business that had not met either in person or virtually, so the introductions were vital to get to know each other. There were also a surprising amount of farming connections in the room!
Team collaboration was celebrated through a series of short, engaging presentations highlighting key milestones across both business and technical domains – all aligned with the broader ambitions of the Digital for Care strategy. Sandra Cogan and Aidan Gill shared the evolution of Index Manager, tracing its journey from Version 1 in 2020 to the current Version 3, offering complementary perspectives from business and technical standpoints. Paul Hamill followed with an insightful look into the mechanics of Index Manager technical look-ups. Looking ahead, the importance of deepening collaboration between business and technical teams was underlined by Lisa Farrelly, HIDS Business Manager, and Yvonne Cantwell, HIDS Technical Manager – a theme that resonates strongly with the integrated approach at the heart of Digital for Care.
Team work was further explored through a SWOT analysis with everyone mixed into small groups. This provided for some interesting analysis and the groups took the opportunity to connect, reflect on weaknesses, celebrate strengths, align opportunities and prepare for threats, ultimately aligning their future goals as one HIDS Team. It was great to see how collaborative working has allowed HIDS to support patients, providers, and the systems that serve them. The biggest takeaway from the day was that HIDS teams have consistently delivered and their greatest strength has been their people. So what does success look like for HIDS in 2025 and beyond:
- Every person in Ireland has a trusted digital health identity through the IHI.
- Every health and care system can confidently link, match, and share information using the IHI.
- HIDS is nationally recognised as the authoritative source for patient identity – the Patient Identity Authority.
- HIDS are helping to enable the future of care: connecting data across the HSE App, National Shared Care Record, Electronic Health Records, and more.
Thank you to Thelma Pentony, Sean Toner and Sinead O’Byrne from the HSE Technology and Transformation Communications, Training and Development Team for their support.
