Transform Gov - the digital government podcast

What if the biggest challenge in healthcare wasn't medicine...

...but getting the right people to work together?

In Part 1 of this fascinating conversation, Professor Derek O'Keeffe — consultant endocrinologist, engineer and founder of the Hive Lab at the University of Galway — explains why solving healthcare problems often starts outside the hospital.

From delivering medicines by drone after Storm Ophelia, to creating smart connected medical devices and bringing engineers and clinicians together, this is a story about practical innovation that is already changing lives.

In this episode:
• Why Derek calls himself a "physicianeer"
• Why healthcare is full of engineering problems
• The remarkable drone medicine delivery project
• Why regulation is often a bigger challenge than technology
• The story behind the "digital stent"
• Why the best innovations start with a real human problem

This isn't a conversation about gadgets.

It's about using technology to make public services work better.

Transform Gov is part of the Ireland eGovernment Awards and is brought to you in partnership with Accenture.

Find out more about this year's Leadership Summit and Awards at:
www.digitalgovawards.com

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction
01:35 What is a "physicianeer"?
03:20 From engineering to medicine
05:12 Why healthcare is full of problems to solve
08:15 Why technology isn't the difficult part
10:48 "The technology is easy. The people are hard."
11:24 The idea that led to medicine delivery by drone
13:18 Aviation, pharmacy and regulation
16:05 Building the Hive Lab
18:42 Collaboration between engineers and clinicians
21:15 The digital stent project
24:10 The garden hose moment
26:40 Why innovation often stays in the drawer
28:50 Making technology work for people
31:00 Final thoughts
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Justin Gleeson explains how a small team from government, Maynooth University and Ordnance Survey Ireland came together in March 2020 to create the platform that millions of us watched every evening behind Tony Holohan.
A fascinating story about what can happen when technology, data and public service all pull in the same direction.
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What happens when local heritage meets digital innovation?

In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Marie Mannion, Heritage Officer, and Brídín Feeney from the GIS team at Galway County Council.

Winners of the 2025 Ireland eGovernment Open Data Award, their StoryMaps project is transforming how communities discover, preserve and share local heritage.

From digitising more than 1,000 townlands to helping local communities tell their own stories, this project demonstrates how open data, GIS technology and community engagement can deliver real public value.

The conversation explores:
• Why traditional booklets were no longer enough
• Using GIS and StoryMaps technology to connect people with place
• Building digital skills within communities
• The role of open data in preserving heritage
• Creating pride of place through technology
• How a local project attracted international interest

Transform Gov is brought to you in partnership with Accenture.

Find out more about the Ireland eGovernment Awards:
www.digitalgovawards.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fear of saying the wrong thing.
Fear of making things worse.
Fear of even starting the conversation.

In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Ailish O’Neill from the HSE’s National Suicide Prevention Office about “Let’s Talk About Suicide” — the winner of the 2025 Ireland eGovernment Education Award.

This is a digital learning programme designed to help ordinary people recognise signs of suicidal distress and feel confident enough to step in and help.
But this conversation goes far beyond technology.

It explores:
• Why lived experience completely changed the design of the programme
• How language and tone can determine whether people engage or switch off
• Why online learning was the right solution for a deeply sensitive subject
• How digital tools can build confidence — not just awareness
• What public sector teams can learn about communication, trust, and behaviour change

One insight stands out:
Many people taking the training were already worried about someone in their lives.
That changes everything.
Transform Gov is part of the Ireland eGovernment Awards and is brought to you in partnership with Accenture.

To read more about free, accessible suicide prevention training from the HSE, or to enrol in Let’s Talk About Suicide, visit www.nosp.ie/training.

This episode includes discussion about suicide and self-harm, which some listeners might find challenging or upsetting. If you, or someone you know needs support, visit the HSE website www.yourmentalhealth.ie for information on mental health, minding yourself and others, and to find services or supports.
Samaritans are also available anytime day or night for support, on freephone 116 123.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:30 Why the programme was created during COVID
04:10 Why suicide prevention training is different
07:20 Designing learning that builds confidence
10:15 The power of lived experience
15:05 “We get it now” — the turning point for developers
18:40 Fear of saying the wrong thing
22:10 Real-world stories and impact
25:00 What other public sector teams can learn
28:00 What happens next
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What actually happens when a country decides to digitise itself?

Not the theory. Not the strategy decks. The real story.

Over 23 years, Ireland’s public sector has gone from:
• Paper forms, post and phone calls
• To online transactions people trust
• To fully integrated, citizen-first services
• And now… cautiously stepping into AI

This episode is a rare step back — a straight, honest look at what changed, what worked, and what didn’t.

You’ll hear:
• Why early “digital” projects were little more than brochure websites
• The moment citizens finally trusted online government services
• The internal battles — fiefdoms, silos and systems that wouldn’t talk to each other
• How collaboration became the biggest shift of all
• Why “citizen-first” wasn’t always the mindset — and how that changed
• The truth about AI in government — less hype, more caution

And crucially — what all of that means for what comes next.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.