Who Holds the Record · country brief · data as of 2026-10-02Who holds the health record in Ireland?
In 2026, Ireland scores 47 of 100 on a person's right to see, control and share their own health record: rank 50= of 65 countries, in the Mixed band (45 to 64). Who holds the keys: State. Source: Who Holds the Record, SuperTruth, data as of 2026-10-02.
Irish records are still largely paper, but a national Shared Care Record went live for clinicians in 2026; patient controls are legislated, not in force.
Published · updated · data as of 2026-10-02 · research tool, not legal advice
Can I get my health records in Ireland?
Access to the full record scores 55 of 100 in Ireland, against a median of 62 across 65 countries. Patients have a free GDPR and FOI right to their whole record, but get it by writing to each hospital or service. The HSE Health App shows only part of the record (appointments, waiting lists, vaccines) and had about 125,000 registered users in January 2026.
Can I control who sees my health record in Ireland?
Control and consent scores 30 of 100 in Ireland, against a median of 52 across 65 countries. The new Shared Care Record shares data by default on a public interest basis, with no opt-out found and no patient-readable access log. Rights to restrict access and to be told who looked are in the Health Information Act 2026 but not commenced.
Eight rights, against Russia, Ukraine, Albania and the EU
| Patient access to the full record20% | 55 | 60 · 46 · 50 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patient control and consent20% | 30 | 30 · 50 · 30 | |
| Privacy and security15% | 56 | 34 · 42 · 55 | |
| Connected care journey15% | 38 | 55 · 62 · 34 | |
| Protection from commercial use10% | 58 | 40 · 40 · 50 | |
| Clinician access at the point of care10% | 36 | 45 · 58 · 30 | |
| Research and trial consent5% | 70 | 42 · 44 · 43 | |
| Clinical AI governance5% | 50 | 55 · 40 · 30 |
Black dot: Ireland. Hollow dots: Russia, Ukraine, Albania (scores on the right, same order). Grey line: median of all 65 countries. Dashed teal line: EU median. Overall: Ireland 47, EU median 61. Scores move in steps of about 5; gaps of 4 or less are ties.
What would Ireland need to change to score higher?
Ireland sits in Mixed (45 to 64); Strong starts at 65. The two rights furthest below the 65-country median, weighted, are patient control and consent (30, median 52) and connected care journey (38, median 62). The published rubric reads:
- Patient control and consent: An opt-out or opt-in, a patient-visible access log and granular choices together put control at 60 to 80.
- Connected care journey: Primary care, hospitals, labs, pharmacy, claims and public health linked to one record and used at national scale.
Which laws give health record rights in Ireland?
- Health Information Act 2026 (No. 10 of 2026) (2026): National EHR for every patient, duty to share, restriction and access-notice rights; key sections not commenced.
- Data Protection Act 2018 (Section 36(2)) (Health Research) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 314/2018) (2018): Explicit consent is a required safeguard for health research, unless the HRCDC grants a declaration.
- Data Protection Act 2018 (2018): Irish GDPR law; fines on public bodies capped at 1 million euros (s. 141).
Strain and split context, not scored
- Doctors per 10,000
- 39.9 2024 · OECD 16 of 38
- Nurses and midwives per 10,000
- 154 2024 · OECD 4 of 38
- Private insurance + out-of-pocket
- 21.9% 2023 · OECD 21 of 35
- Record reaches private care?
- partial
"It is a secure clinical system that gives authorised healthcare staff read-only access to key patient information from various sources. These include: hospitals primary care community services eventually, private healthcare providers"
Published stories
- 2026-09-02 · Data Protection Commission Health service fined €645,000 over neglected and insecure paper record stores
- 2026-06-30 · Data Protection Commission (Annual Report 2025 case studies) Patient's request to correct GP record went unanswered until the regulator asked
Questions, corrections or a briefing: supertruth.ai/on-the-record#contact · Full index: whoholds.supertruth.ai