Ireland’s health service is facing mounting pressure to shift care out of acute hospitals and into community settings, even as the country boasts the highest self-reported good health in the European Union. More than 2,000 people gathered in Dublin on September 3, 2026, for the Health Service Executive’s Integrated Healthcare Conference 2026 at the Convention Centre Dublin to debate the future of regionalised care, weekend rostering, and how best to develop services in the community.
The annual event highlighted both the progress achieved through substantial investment and the structural bottlenecks that persist across the system. While the workforce has grown and innovative local projects have multiplied, health leaders warn that current funding levels cannot be sustained indefinitely without fundamental changes to how care is delivered.
EU Health Ranking Contrast With Waiting List Realities
Opening the conference, HSE Board Chair Ciarán Devane highlighted that for the fourth year in a row, Ireland recorded the highest self-reported good health of any EU member state. According to Mr Devane, over 80 per cent of men and just under 80 per cent of women report being in good or very good health, a position he described as fantastic though broader than the health service itself.
Compared to a decade ago, the system employs more doctors, nurses, and health and social care professionals, growth driven by good policy and really substantial investment. However, Mr Devane warned that this level of financial input cannot continue, pointing to the urgent necessity of improving e-health infrastructure and cutting long patient waiting lists.
Scaling Local Innovation Across Regional Networks
With the reorganisation of the health service into six health regions and 20 integrated health areas over the past two years, local facilities have gained greater autonomy to innovate. The conference featured more than 400 posters from HSE teams displaying localized solutions designed to bridge gaps between hospitals and primary care.
Speaking to the Medical Independent, Mr Devane identified the primary operational hurdle as scaling these localized successes rapidly across regional and national networks. Each integrated health area must leverage its proven innovations so that effective care models do not remain isolated pockets of excellence.
Shifting Resources Toward Community Care and Prevention
Addressing acute sector overcrowding requires a decisive pivot toward community-based medicine, according to health leaders at the conference. Initiatives such as the opening of new primary care centres, the chronic disease management programme, and the rollout of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisation programme for newborns have already helped reduce hospital presentations.
Mr Devane pointed to the RSV vaccination rollout as a clear example of a targeted intervention yielding quick, measurable outcomes. Nevertheless, he emphasised that the health service still has a long way to go to ensure patients receive care in the right place, noting that strengthening community-based prevention remains essential for curbing future acute demand.
Evolution of Governance and Workforce Confidence
Reflecting on his tenure ahead of his departure in June 2027, Mr Devane pointed to significant governance transformations over the past seven years. Improvements in audit, risk management, and corporate planning have fundamentally changed how the organisation operates compared to seven years ago.
The HSE workforce has also grown in confidence following the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff members demonstrated during the public health emergency that they possess the capacity to innovate and manage acute crises, laying a resilient foundation for ongoing structural reform.
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