Ireland’s Public Service Transformation Week 2026 continues on Friday, 13 November, with a full programme focused on digital government, healthcare innovation, artificial intelligence, inclusion and public trust. Organised through the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, the day brings together public bodies, educators, researchers and frontline teams.
Public Service Transformation Week 2026 programme
The schedule features online, hybrid and in-person sessions across Ireland. Several events are open to public service bodies, while others are internal or invite-only. Key themes include:
- Practical uses of artificial intelligence in public services
- Co-design with patients, older people and communities
- Innovation in healthcare and further education
- Digital workplace communication and cyber awareness
- Trust, collaboration and relationship-based public services
Healthcare innovation and patient participation
The HSE Mid West will host an Ideas into Action session at University Hospital Limerick, highlighting the Spark Innovation Programme, available funding and local support for healthcare projects. A separate Spark Connect workshop in Galway will help the West Galway CAMHS team map service pathways, identify challenges and refine an innovation project.
Later, an HSE webinar will examine how an iterative co-design process shaped the Patient Public Partnership Advisory Group. The session will focus on meaningful participation, feedback and demonstrating how patient and public contributions influence decisions.
Artificial intelligence and inclusive digital services
Age-Friendly AI will be explored in a webinar led by TU Dublin and Dublin City University’s ADAPT Centre. The initiative works with older adults and community organisations to ensure that lived experience informs AI development, governance and public service delivery.
Pobal will also present practical lessons from experimenting with AI agents, knowledge assistants and AI-supported operational processes. The session is designed to show how structured testing can turn interest in emerging technology into useful organisational capability.
Public sector collaboration, education and trust
A Relational Public Services webinar will consider how stronger relationships, trust and collaboration can improve outcomes for individuals, families and communities. Participating organisations include the Department of the Taoiseach, Department of Justice, Department of Children, Disability and Equality, Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Department of Health, and Department of Education and Youth.
SOLAS will host an invite-only community education seminar in Sligo, bringing together education and training stakeholders to discuss funding, partnership models, active citizenship and the wider benefits of learning. The Irish Defence Forces will separately share lessons from its digital workplace rollout through an interactive hybrid training session.
The Central Statistics Office will close the public-facing programme with a webinar on the 2025 Trust Survey, which examines self-reported interpersonal trust and confidence in institutions.
Why the programme matters
Public Service Transformation Week 2026 illustrates how Ireland’s public bodies are approaching modernisation through experimentation and collaboration rather than technology alone. The programme connects the HSE, SOLAS, Pobal, the CSO, local authorities, education institutions and the Defence Forces around practical improvements to services.
Its emphasis on inclusion is particularly significant. By involving patients, older people, community groups and public servants in design and evaluation, the events aim to support digital services that are more accessible, trusted and responsive.
Key takeaway
Public Service Transformation Week 2026 offers a practical snapshot of Ireland’s public sector reform agenda, from AI experimentation and healthcare innovation to community education and institutional trust. Friday’s programme underlines the importance of people, evidence and collaboration in building better public services.
Article/Image Courtesy: gov.ie