Transform Gov - the digital government podcast

How do you redesign a public service used by people from almost every country in the world?

In this episode of Transform Gov, Maeve Kneafsey speaks with Paul Rooney and Roshan Wijesinghe from the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration about the Department’s digital contact centre for immigration services.

This is a story about far more than technology.

The Department was dealing with high volumes of applications, fragmented helpdesks, repeated queries, multiple languages, anxious users and staff under pressure. The response was not simply to “build a portal”. It was to redesign the service around users, staff, language, culture, trust and delivery.

The conversation explores:
Why the project was service-design-led, not technology-led
How the Department moved towards a more joined-up applicant view
Why translation is not the same as localisation
How plain English, tone of voice and visuals helped make the service easier to use
How personas helped the team understand both immigration applicants and internal staff
How Microsoft Dynamics, automation and AI-supported tools are helping staff manage information and queries
Why AI is not being used to make immigration decisions
How identity verification helped tackle appointment-booking abuse
Why business-led change management was critical
What other public sector teams can learn from the project

For CIOs, digital leaders, service designers, customer service teams and anyone working on AI or transformation in the public sector, this is a practical look at what digital government really requires: clear purpose, better data, better communication, staff involvement and strong safeguards.

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

Find out more at www.digitalgovawards.com

Digital government, public sector transformation, Department of Justice, immigration services, AI in government, public sector AI, Microsoft Dynamics, digital contact centre, service design, multilingual services, digital identity, change management, GovTech, Ireland eGovernment Awards, Transform Gov, customer service, public service reform
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What if your next hospital appointment happened from your kitchen table?

In Part 2 of Transform Gov, Professor Derek O'Keeffe explains how Ireland is using digital technology to rethink healthcare delivery — from remote islands to nursing homes, prisons and beyond.

You'll hear how:

*Patients can be monitored safely at home.
*Chronic diseases can be managed before emergencies happen.
*Virtual hospitals are reducing unnecessary admissions.
*AI and robotics could become everyday healthcare tools.

This isn't science fiction.

It's already happening.

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

Find out more about the Ireland eGovernment Leadership Summit and Awards at:
www.digitalgovawards.com

If you enjoy the episode, please like, subscribe and share.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
01:33 Why chronic disease is changing healthcare
04:49 Why hospitals aren't designed for chronic illness
07:24 The idea behind the virtual hospital
09:44 Monitoring patients at home
10:58 Virtual wards explained
15:20 The island healthcare project
17:06 Why islands became the perfect test bed
18:37 A patient, a ferry and lambing season
20:06 Scaling the project across Ireland
21:41 Nursing homes, prisons and remote care
24:23 International interest from Australia
25:21 AI, robotics and the future of healthcare
27:48 Why innovation requires resilience
29:02 Final thoughts
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

If you enjoy the episode, please like, subscribe and share.

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.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.