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Transform Gov - the digital government podcast
Revolutionising digital health at the HSE with Maria McCann former Director Data & Informatics.
Transforming Healthcare; Organisational Psychologist and former HSE Director of Data and Informatics, Maria McCann played a pivotal role in revolutionising digital health at the HSE. Which included her time working with Richard Corbridge, CIO of HSE, the COVID response team and Ukrainian crisis.
Episode Highlights:
· Patient-Centered Transformation - How Maria and her team focused on integrating IT solutions seamlessly into the workflows of both patients and clinicians, ensuring technology enhances rather than complicates their experiences.
· Driving Change with Clinicians: How Maria managed to get 200 HSE clinicians to drive change, highlighting the critical role of clinical teams in successful digital transformation.
· Resilience During COVID: Hear about the extraordinary efforts to support clinicians, risking their lives during the pandemic, in the implementation of the Individual Health Identifier (IHI) and remote work migration for 1500 HSE workers.
· Collaborative Efforts: Understand the extensive collaboration with various public sector agencies, including the Department of Health, OGCIO, ESRI, CSO, and many more, to drive forward crucial projects like the HSE tracker and vaccination management.
· Innovative strategies used to transition to remote work, including "how-to" video guides and online learning forums that saw 1000 registrations in just two days.
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60. Inside Dublin City Council’s AI Lab
34:30||Season 2, Ep. 60What does AI actually look like inside a local authority?In this episode of Transform Gov, Dublin City Council’s AI Lab team — Khizer Ahmed Biyabani and Richie Shakespeare — explain how they are moving beyond AI hype to deliver practical tools that improve consistency, save time and build trust.From preventing contradictory council answers to searching decades of records in seconds, they share what works, what doesn’t, and why 80% of AI success comes down to data.Why ListenHow AI prevents conflicting public-sector responsesTurning 1990s PDFs into instant search resultsTraining 500+ staff and shifting sentiment from fear to confidenceWhy data readiness matters more than the AI itselfTimeline00:00 — What the AI Lab is and why it exists 03:30 — Why a sandbox approach matters 11:30 — Training 500+ staff and changing AI sentiment 21:27 — “Ctrl+F on steroids”: AI for council questions 22:04 — Searching records back to the 1990s 24:29 — The truth: data preparation is 80% of the work 27:00 — Building control use cases and operational impact 32:40 — Scaling AI safely in local governmentAI in government, digital transformation, local government innovation, generative AI, public sector technology, Ireland eGovernment Awards, smart cities, data governance
59. Quantum computing could upend how governments plan, model and decide — sooner than expected
27:53||Season 2, Ep. 59Quantum computing is often described as “next-generation” technology — but according to Equal1 CEO Jason Lynch, it’s much closer, more practical, and more relevant to government than most people realise.In this episode of Transform Gov, Jason explains quantum computing in plain English, why it follows AI rather than replaces it, and how it could transform public services — from climate modelling and flooding prediction to healthcare, logistics and national infrastructure planning.We also explore why waiting until quantum “arrives” may already be too late for CIOs, and what public-sector leaders should be doing now to prepare.Topic timeline00:01 – What quantum computing actually is (without the jargon)03:10 – Why AI is hitting limits: energy, cost and sustainability04:30 – Healthcare, drugs and why we still don’t know how paracetamol works06:20 – Optimisation problems governments can’t solve today08:00 – Why Equal1’s data-centre approach changes everything11:40 – Why ESA became Equal1’s first customer15:40 – What CIOs should be planning for now17:50 – Quantum, security and post-quantum cryptography20:40 – Digital sovereignty and Europe’s quantum future25:00 – What citizens may notice in five years’ timequantum computing explained, quantum computing government, public sector technology, digital government podcast, future of computing, AI and quantum, government innovationwhat is quantum computing, how quantum computing affects government, quantum vs AI, when will quantum computing be used, quantum computing public services
58. Why telling people what to do doesn’t work
27:19||Season 2, Ep. 58What if improving health didn’t start with another campaign telling people what to do?In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Stephen McPeake, founder of Civic Dollars, about a practical, community-led way councils and health bodies are encouraging healthier behaviour — and actually seeing results.Stephen explains why incentives often work better than awareness campaigns, why people push back when they’re told what to do, and how councils and health bodies are using Civic Dollars to improve wellbeing, support local businesses, and strengthen communities.A smart listen for anyone working in public health, local government, or digital transformation.Topics00:00 – 01:00 Why public services struggle to change behaviour01:00 – 03:00 A simple idea: rewarding people for time outdoors03:00 – 05:30 How health activity turns into community impact05:30 – 09:00 Using incentives instead of prescriptions09:00 – 12:10 Why public health campaigns don’t work12:10 – 15:00 Why place matters more than apps15:00 – 19:00 How innovation gets stuck in pilot mode19:00 – 27:00 What councils get, what it costs, and what’s next
57. AI can now fake identity
30:53||Season 2, Ep. 57AI can already create near-perfect replicas of passports, utility bills and other identity documents — good enough to bypass many existing checks.In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Dr Hitesh Tewari, Professor at Trinity College Dublin and researcher at the ADAPT Centre, about what this means for public services that rely on digital identity, from welfare and healthcare to licensing and payments.They explore:Why traditional KYC approaches are no longer sufficientHow fraud becomes dangerous when it becomes scalableHow zero-knowledge proof can allow verification without over-sharing dataHow blockchain can support trust, not speculationLessons from real-world projects in energy, voting and healthcare dataA practical, risk-focused conversation for those responsible for digital public services.Key topics 01:25 – AI-generated identity documents and KYC risk06:30 – Why scalable fraud changes everything10:45 – What blockchain is (and is not) for government13:50 – Zero-knowledge proof explained simply19:40 – Tackling greenwashing with better energy attribution22:15 – Healthcare data, silos and trust25:50 – What’s coming next: opportunities and risksDigital identity, AI fraud, KYC, public sector technology, digital government, blockchain, zero-knowledge proof, cybersecurity, trust in government, ADAPT Centre, Trinity College Dublin
56. How to design digital government for everyone
37:43||Season 2, Ep. 56Digital services only work if everyone can use them.In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Donal Fitzpatrick and Shivaali Scully from the National Disability Authority about accessibility, universal design and the fast-emerging role of AI in public services.They explore if AI can remove barriers for people with disabilities, where serious risks around bias and privacy remain, and why involving users early in design is the single most important factor in getting digital services right.The conversation ranges from real-world examples of AI supporting accessibility, to the impact of the European Accessibility Act, and why Ireland is emerging as a global leader in universal design.This is a must-listen for anyone designing, commissioning or delivering digital services in the public or private sector.Timeline / Topics00:00 – Why accessibility is central to digital government03:00 – AI and accessibility: opportunity versus risk06:30 – Why user voices must shape design from day one09:30 – Privacy, bias and the limits of AI17:00 – European Accessibility Act explained23:00 – Ireland’s leadership in universal design34:00 – The Universal Design Grand Challenge and future talentAccessibility, Universal Design, AI in Government, Digital Public Services, Inclusion, European Accessibility Act, Public Sector Innovation, Transform Gov
55. Is government structurally ready for the digital age? OGCIO behind the scenes
21:28||Season 2, Ep. 55This is a frank conversation about pace, legislation, risk culture, and delivery at scale — and why digital reform will stall unless governments change how decisions are made, not just what they build.Part 2 of Transform Gov, Dr Tony Shannon, Head of Digital Services at Ireland’s Office of the Government CIO. This interview goes beyond strategy and confronts the real constraints holding back public-sector transformation.Tony explains why:the machinery of government is not yet fit for the digital agelegislation itself must become “digital-ready”life-event based services require cross-government ownershipIreland has a unique opportunity to lead between EU regulation and US innovationThis episode will resonate with anyone responsible for delivery, governance, funding, architecture, or reform in the public sector.Part 2 of 2Presented by Maeve KneafseyTransform Gov – part of the Ireland eGovernment Awards, in partnership with AccentureKey moments01:45 – Why 2030 is the end of the digital decade, not the start04:30 – Life events, building blocks and shared ownership07:00 – Digital public infrastructure explained11:25 – Ireland’s position between EU regulation and US innovation17:00 – Why the machinery of government is not yet fit for the digital age18:30 – The case for digital-ready legislationKey subjects: public sector digital transformation, government CIO, digital government Ireland, life events strategy, digital public infrastructure, govtech, public service reform, digital legislation, OGCIO, Transform Gov podcast
54. The doctor helping to rewire how Ireland delivers public services
26:14||Season 2, Ep. 54Dr Tony Shannon, Head of Digital Services in Ireland’s Office of the Government CIO, shares his remarkable journey from emergency medicine to the front line of digital government.He shares why healthcare’s chaos taught him how to fix complex systems, how the NHS’s multi-billion-pound IT failure shaped his thinking, and why now—in his words—“is a moment that matters and a decade that matters.”Expect insight, urgency and practical lessons for anyone who believes public services can, and must, work better for people and planet.Part 1 of 2.Listen for:How a doctor’s pattern-recognition mindset applies to digital reformWhat went wrong with the NHS national IT programmeThe three-way equation of People + Process + TechnologyWhy the pandemic briefly showed how agile government can beWhy risk-aversion, if left unchallenged, will cost us allDigital transformation, public sector innovation, Ireland eGovernment, Tony Shannon, OGCIO, Maeve Kneafsey, healthcare informatics, open source, agile delivery, leadership, government reform, risk culture, digital public services, data, AI in government, life-event strategy
53. From endless pilots to real progress
37:29||Season 2, Ep. 53How do great ideas in healthcare move from pilot projects to everyday practice?In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey talks with Louise (Lou) O’Hare, Assistant National Director at the Sláintecare Transformation and Innovation Office, about how the Sláintecare Integration Innovation Fund (SIF) is creating a clear pathway for innovation across Ireland’s health system.Lou shares how the new Health Innovation Framework will ensure promising solutions — from clinician-led ideas to community telehealth — can move from proof of concept to full rollout, with proper governance, funding, and scaling support.We hear the story behind the Healthy Islands Project, how AI and innovation hubs are shaping the future of care, and what’s next for collaboration between Spark, HSE innovators, and digital health leaders.Sláintecare, HSE innovation, healthcare transformation Ireland, digital health, health technology, Spark Fund, SIF, health innovation framework, healthcare governance, telehealth, clinician innovation, HSE leadership, healthcare transformation podcast
52. Joined-up by design: How Ireland’s largest dept. is re-thinking digital services around real life events
41:11||Season 2, Ep. 52In this episode, Maeve Kneafsey talks with Paula Lyons, Ass. Secretary and Head of Service Development at the Department of Social Protection, about how her team is redesigning services around life events like having a child, retirement, or bereavement.They discuss:Why DSP’s philosophy is “digital by desire”, not by forceHow citizen trust and data sharing are unlocking connected servicesThe next generation of online welfare and pension servicesA must-listen for anyone shaping digital government and citizen-first transformation.Subscribe now for personal email updates www.digitalgovawards.com01:05 – What motivates Paula to stay in public service10:00 – How “Digital by Desire” became DSP’s guiding principle24:05 – Designing services around real life events29:30 – AI pilots and the future of digital service delivery