The HSE has begun appointing a team charged with developing a new national diabetes registry. The registry will be the first chronic disease data system hosted by the HSE.
Plans for the registry were delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic, but remained “a priority”, the Department of Health informed the Medical Independent in August 2022. A Department spokesperson has now confirmed that funding has been allocated to establish a team within the HSE. Funded posts include a 0.5 whole-time equivalent clinical lead, a programme manager, a coordinator, an ICT specialist, and a data specialist.
As of February, the clinical lead had taken up post, the coordinator role had been filled, and the programme manager will start in the second quarter of this year. Recruitment is ongoing for the ICT and data specialist positions.
The “key priorities” for the HSE team include agreeing a governance structure for establishment and management of the registry; identifying and liaising with existing data controllers/data sources to build the registry; establishing the prevalence of diabetes in Ireland and generating reports for policymakers, clinicians, and people living with diabetes in Ireland; and improving outcomes.
According to the Department, the registry will have a long-term benefit for patients by facilitating benchmarking of individual care against guideline recommendations and by providing reliable information to healthcare planners and policymakers.
Diabetes is a complex condition that can require management across the spectrum of healthcare delivery, including self-management support as well as care delivered through general practice, community specialist care, and hospital inpatient specialist care.
According to the HSE, it is impossible to accurately determine the national prevalence of diabetes in the absence of a registry.
In its pre-Budget 2025 submission, Diabetes Ireland called for the creation of a registry as well as the development of a 10-year national diabetes strategy.
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