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Two major healthcare events will take place today and later tonight in Dublin — the Patient Solutions Conference and the Irish Healthcare Awards — creating a ‘day-long festival of ideas, debate and celebration’ for Ireland’s healthcare community. Both events will be held at the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road, and together will showcase innovation, policy engagement and recognition of excellence across the sector. The day begins with the inaugural Patient Solutions Conference, a new forum designed to bring together clinicians, technologists, policymakers, and patient representatives to discuss practical ways to improve healthcare delivery. Unlike speculative discussions about futuristic technologies, the conference will focus on real-world innovations that enhance efficiency and humanity in care. Topics include digital tools that reduce waiting times, integrated systems that improve coordination, and models of care that prioritise patients over paperwork. The event aims to tackle everyday frustrations in the healthcare system — such as long waits for appointments — by highlighting tangible solutions already being implemented in hospitals and community settings. The emphasis is on ‘making healthcare more humane, more efficient, and less maddening’. One of the highlights of the conference will be a Q&A session with the Secretary General of the Department of Health, Robert Watt, who will take questions directly from attendees. It marks a rare opportunity for open dialogue between senior health officials and front-line professionals. Organisers say the session reflects a genuine commitment to engagement and a willingness to confront challenges within the system. When the conference concludes, the venue will be transformed for the 24th annual Irish Healthcare Awards, which honour excellence and innovation across the country’s health system. The awards recognise individuals and teams — from researchers to clinicians to community leaders — who have achieved measurable improvements in patient care. Over the years, the event has become a benchmark for best practice and a showcase of Irish ingenuity in healthcare. Past winners include the Sligo Leitrim Mental Health Service, recognised for developing a person-centred crisis resolution team that reduced hospital admissions, and the Pillar Centre for Transformative Healthcare, which turned a hospital campus into a hub for innovation and collaboration. Recent awards have highlighted the growing role of technology in healthcare. In 2024, projects honoured included AI-assisted MRI imaging at St Vincent’s Private Hospital, virtual reality therapy for chronic pain in Limerick, and eTrauma systems that streamline emergency care and reduce waiting times. A recurring theme across both events is the balance between technological advancement and human-centred care. While digital transformation continues to accelerate in Irish healthcare, speakers will emphasise that technology must serve people — not replace compassion. Examples to be discussed include data analytics tools that predict hospital admissions, wearable sensors that detect patient deterioration early, and AI-driven chatbots guiding patients with rare diseases. With major digital infrastructure projects underway and a growing appetite for reform, Ireland’s healthcare system is seen to be at an inflection point. The challenge now, organisers argue, is to align innovation with national policy and procurement processes — ensuring that promising ideas move beyond pilot projects to become embedded practice. Having the Department of Health represented at the highest level is viewed as a step toward that alignment. “Conferences like Patient Solutions lay the groundwork for what comes next,” said one organiser. “Awards recognise success, but the conversation starts in the morning.” The twin events are designed to capture both sides of the healthcare equation: idea generation and recognition of achievement. Attendees at the conference will hear discussions on how to improve care delivery, while the awards dinner will honour those who have already done so. “The morning is about how; the evening is about who,” the organisers said. “It’s the same themes — innovation, collaboration, compassion, technology — viewed from different angles.” As the day shifts from morning coffee to evening celebration, participants are expected to leave with both practical insights and renewed optimism about the direction of Irish healthcare. From start to finish, the events aim to reinforce one message: the future of healthcare depends not just on innovation, but on connection — between policymakers and practitioners, between technology and empathy, and between those who plan and those who deliver care.
