Today, healthcare leaders, innovators, and policymakers are reimagining the future of healthcare with a renewed focus on health and wellbeing as the core of system design and delivery.

This theme reflects a growing consensus that healthcare must evolve beyond reactive treatment models to embrace preventive, holistic, and patient-centered approaches. Ageing populations, workforce shortages, the rise of chronic disease, the impact of climate change and tightening budgets means our healthcare system is facing many challenges. Most modern healthcare systems have a primary focus on curing illness, but a pivot to systems that prioritise prevention as the cornerstone of good health could be transformative. 

Now entering into its 22nd year, The National Health Summit brings together leading experts, policymakers, clinicians and healthcare management professionals to discuss and address the most pressing healthcare challenges of our time and how to build a healthier future. We look forward to seeing you in February 2026 where we will discuss and debate how to embed wellbeing into healthcare policy and practice, how to create new partnerships and programmes to scale community-based health initiatives and understand how technology and human-centered design can transform care delivery.

AGENDA

We are at an early stage of development with the program and will keep you updated on progress. 

Topics

Our agenda is in development but we are planning on featuring these Big Question topics:

• Geopolitics and healthcare: The challenges and opportunities for European health policymakers  

• Protecting our health in a changing climate: Shaping climate resilient healthcare through policy and practice 

• Sustainability of our healthcare system: Ho will we manage the relentless growth in demand for healthcare? 

• Ireland’s demographic outlook: Planning for our growing and ageing population 

• Slaintecare mid-term review: Are we where we expected to be midway through the 10-year implementation plan? 

• Why should societies invest in long-term care? New evidence makes the case for action  

• What’s the strategic direction for AI in the health service?  

• Public health in the era of misinformation and disinformation 

• Healing the system: Addressing toxic culture in healthcare and steps toward positive change 

 

Who Should Attend?

• Leaders and decision-makers in healthcare management and delivery
• Clinicians and clinical leaders
• Policy-makers, academics, government organisations
• NGOs
• Service and solutions providers to the health sector

 

You can view a roundup video of our 21st National Health Summit HERE