Health Information Bill to be published in June

The long-awaited Health Information Bill will be published next month and go to the Oireachtas in the Autumn, Irish Medical Times has learned.
One of the main purposes of the Bill, which is currently being formally drafted, will be to establish a legislative framework to enable information – in whatever form – to be used to best effect the enhancement of medical care and patient safety throughout the health service.

The new legislation will address issues relating to the collection, use, storing and disclosure of personal health information. In particular, it will provide a legal base for a number of important information initiatives such as health identifiers, health registries and a new streamlined structure for research ethics approval. In addition, it will cover certain information-related issues identified in the Madden Report on Patient Safety — for example, promoting and facilitating improved clinical audit.
The complex legislation also deals with matters of privacy and confidentiality.
The Minister for Health Mary Harney announced a public consultation exercise on the proposed Bill back in June 2008.