Update from the Assistant National Director: lolo Eilian

01 August 2025

This year the Patient and Service User Experience key focus areas in the HSE National Service Plan 2026 are:

Create an environment of active listening

1. National Care Experience Programme:(i) Develop and commence implementation of Regional Quality Improvement Plans, covering inpatient, maternity and end-of-life experience programmes within six months of completion of relevant survey; (ii) Agree a multi-year National Care Experience Survey programme of work between all governing parties (HSE, DoH and HIQA) by Q3, 2026.

 

Foster a culture of partnership

  1. Patient and Service User Strategy: Develop a structured process for patient and service user participation and regional implementation plans, including performance indicators and metrics
  2. Better Together Roadmap: Monitor the number of staff, patients and service users who have completed level 1 training (Better Together) and finalise and launch level 2 training 
  3. Patient and Service User Partner Portal: Create a new Partner Portal to communicate partnering opportunities
  4. Public and Patient Involvement in Guidance: Embed best practice guidance within new regional research structures. .

 

Corporate Plan

The HSE Corporate Plan 2025- 2027 has recently been launched by the Minister for Health (https://about.hse.ie/publications/hse-corporate-plan-2025-2027/) and it includes a commitment for the HSE to partner with patients/service users and voluntary organisations to ensure that that people experience the right care which is high quality, safe and co-ordinated. This is another first for Patient and Service User Partnership to be given such a prominent position in a Corporate Plan and is a welcome step to shape the way forward for the next few years.

 

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