NATIONAL SERVICE DESK (NSD) Supporting Healthcare Through Technology
In today’s healthcare system, reliable and responsive ICT support is a necessity, from ensuring patient records are accessible, to keeping critical hospital systems online, technology underpins almost every aspect of healthcare. NSD is the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) single point of contact for ICT support, serving as a vital link in patient care.
With a dedicated workforce of around 250 staff, NSD provides both remote and desk- side support across the health-care system. Our goal is simple but essential: to deliver high-quality, efficient, and user-centric IT support that enables healthcare professionals to provide the best patient care possible.
The stats from 2024
The scale of NSD operations highlight just how vital the service is to the HSE. In 2024 alone, the NSD supported 100,000+ users, logged 569,280 tickets, and answered more than 352,000 phone calls. These aren’t just numbers, behind every ticket and call is a healthcare professional or support staff member relying on ICT systems to provide safe, efficient patient care and keep essential services running.
Equally important is the quality of support delivered. An impressive 80% of tickets were fully resolved by the NSD team, showcasing the depth of expertise and capability within the service. Feedback from users has also been outstanding, with a 96% satisfaction rate, a clear reflection of the team’s professionalism, dedication, and commitment to delivering the best possible experience. This aligns closely with the findings of the recent T&T survey, in which NSD played a central role and accounted for the majority of user interactions.
What we do
From hospitals to community clinics, health centres to administrative offices, NSD is a trusted partner. We manage incidents, process requests, and ensure smooth access to digital tools and services. Whether it is setting up new accounts, troubleshooting devices, or supporting large-scale system rollouts; our teams ensure the right technology is in place at the right time.
NSD’s remit is wide-ranging, covering a vast array of software, hardware and clinical IT issues.
We are front facing, and our impact is felt every day by keeping ICT systems reliable, secure, and accessible. NSD ensures healthcare professionals can focus on what matters most which is delivering effective and efficient patient care.
Looking Ahead: projects on the horizon
Technology in healthcare never stands still, and the NSD is at the heart of several major projects. We are preparing for the following:
National Password Reset Project: this will allow end users to reset their passwords without contacting the service desk. Visit this link to the Ivanti Dashboard - includes a step-by-step guide, a short video and some FAQ’s.
Windows 11 Project: We are currently involved in assisting the Win 11 project team with the upgrade of more than 66,000 devices from Windows 10 to Windows 11. The scale of the project demands precise planning and cross-functional collaboration between NSD and the project team.
Upgrading Microsoft Office 2016 Across HSE Estate: NSD are currently engaged in this project, which is being deployed across the HSE estate. This will reduce legacy compatibility issues and standardise the estate going forward.
Single Sign On (Imprivata): This currently being rolled out in hospitals nationwide to allow clinical staff to use swipe cards to login and log off machines. With Single Sign On, they log in once and get seamless access, saving valuable minutes in emergencies.
Ivanti Neurons: A major upgrade to our ticketing system is scheduled for implementation by the end of Q4 2025. The upgrade will deliver additional functionality to support service improvements, streamlining both the end-user experience when logging calls and the service desk workflow when resolving them.
Team effort
At NSD, we’re more than just a service desk, we’re multiple teams working together to support hospitals, primary care centres, nurses, and doctors. By keeping systems running smoothly, we play our part in the patient journey, helping frontline staff, administration staff and management focus on delivering the best possible patient care.
NSD’s culture of collaboration and continuous improvement makes it possible to handle challenges at scale while keeping a clear focus on the individual user’s needs.
Paul Moore NSD Manager: “Since stepping into the Service Desk Manager role in December 2024, I’ve had the privilege of leading a period of continued growth and improvement within NSD. A key focus has been the expansion of our services and ensuring we’re consistently enhancing the experience for our user base. I will be overseeing the transition from our current version of Ivanti ticketing system to Ivanti Neurons, while driving a number of continuous improvement projects that support our long-term goals.
One of the most rewarding parts of the role so far has been getting to know the staff and wider teams across the service. Reaching out, building those connections, and understanding how we can best support them has been invaluable in shaping our approach. I’m really enjoying my time with NSD, the role is both rewarding and challenging, and I look forward to building on this momentum in the months ahead”.
Continuing our journey
As technology continues to transform healthcare, the NSD remains committed to innovation, service excellence, and supporting the evolving needs of the HSE. This has an impact every time a clinician accesses a patient record, a nurse updates medication charts, or an administrator supports frontline staff.
End users have already logged more than 412,000 tickets this year and we’re on track to see circa 600,000 tickets before year’s end.
If you are curious about the NSD and the projects underway or would like to learn more about how ICT is supporting healthcare, please feel free to reach out.
The NSD team is always ready to share insights, knowledge, and expertise as we continue building a stronger, more connected health service.
How to contact us:
SharePoint Site: National Service Desk - Home
ICT.NSD@hse.ie (for information purposes only and should not be used to log tickets).
Phone: 0818 300 300