Participants
The groups participating in the Healthlink Project can be divided into 5 categories. These are:
Health Service Executive
General Practitioners
Hospitals
Health Care Agencies
Practice Management System Suppliers
Health Service Executive (HSE)
The Healthlink Project is funded by the HSE. The ICT function of the HSE is as follows: ‘The Information & Communication Technology Directorate is responsible for the delivery of value-adding ICT supports across the health service to facilitate greater integration and information to support service delivery. The Directorate will work to define policies and standards at national level and supporting implementing at local level.’ Healthlink work in conjunction with the HSE to help realise the aims and objectives of this Directorate. The Project completed much work with the HSE Messaging Sub-group, now finished, to help define the HL7 standards for Ireland.
General Practitioners
There are approximately 3,500 GPs in Ireland - not all of these are computerised but of those that are we aim to have 100% using HealthlinkOnline. The registration requirements are straightforward and the service is free of charge to GPs.
Hospitals
The hospitals involved with Healthlink are at varying levels of participation and offer multiple services through HealthlinkOnline. We work with both public and private hospitals, live sites are listed below:
- AMNCH
- Beaumont Hospital
- Beacon Hospital
- Cavan General Hospital
- Connolly Hospital
- Cork University Hospital
- Ennis General Hospital
- Letterkenny General Hospital
- Limerick Hospital
- Louth County Hospital
- Mater Private Hospital
- Mater Public Hospital
- Mayo General Hospital
- Merlin Park General Hospital
- Monaghan County Hospital
- Mullingar General Hospital
- Naas General Hospital
- Nenagh General Hospital
- Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda
- Our Lady's Hospital, Navan
- Portiuncula Hospital
- Portlaoise General Hospital
- Roscommon County Hospital
- Sligo General Hospital
- St. Colmcille's Hospital
- St. James's Hospital
- St. Luke’s Hospital, Kilkenny
- St. Michael's Hospital
- St. Vincent's University Hospital
- Tullamore General Hospital
- University College Hospital Galway
- Waterford Regional Hospital
Health Care Agencies
As the largest messaging project in Ireland Healthlink is available to all health care agencies to utilise for their communication needs. HealthlinkOnline is used in a variety of agencies such as the National Cancer Registry of Ireland, St. Vincent's Neurology Department and Safetynet for the Homeless.
Practice Management System Suppliers
Five Practice Management Software Systems have so far received GPIT certification. Healthlink work closely with these vendors to ensure full message integration is achieved.
- CompleteGP, version 2.1
- Health One, version 6
- Helix Practice Manager, version 1
- Medtech32, version 4.0
- Socrates, version 1.5
We also work with the other software products on the market: GPMac, DynamicGP and GP Clinical who offer varying levels of integration.
