Ask Brigid is practice software built for speed. Brigid Clinical Intelligence takes on the admin, and patients pay by card through a link.
A paediatric practice needs to distinguish the child receiving care, the adult making the booking, the person paying the invoice and the people authorised to receive information. These roles should not be assumed to be interchangeable.
This is an administrative software-evaluation checklist for Irish private practices. It does not decide consent, guardianship or disclosure in an individual case. Those decisions remain with the responsible professionals, using current guidance and appropriate advice.
Keep treatment consent and record access distinct
The HSE National Consent Policy guidance describes consent as an ongoing process and provides guidance for children and young people. A signature alone does not replace that process.
The Data Protection Commission’s guidance on children and parents explains that the data belongs to the child. A parent or guardian does not have an automatic entitlement to it. Avoid software rules that treat a billing contact or family relationship as sufficient permission to release every document.
For disputed or uncertain requests, record the request and route it to the responsible clinician or data-protection lead for assessment. Do not use a generic software guide as a decision table for a family’s circumstances.
Check what the intake workflow records
Start with the fields your practice has a justified need to collect. In a demonstration, ask the supplier to show how staff distinguish:
- The child’s identity from each adult contact’s identity.
- The booking contact from the invoice recipient.
- A recorded relationship from a verified authority or access decision.
- A submitted form from information checked by clinic staff.
- A current communication preference from an older instruction.
Ask who can change these details and what record of the change is retained. Do not add identifiers or copies of documents simply because a form builder has room for them. Agree collection and retention requirements through your practice’s governance process.
Rehearse a document-sharing workflow
Use an invented patient and two invented adult contacts. Have staff prepare a test letter, choose its recipient and check what each test account can see. Include a mistaken recipient and an access change in the rehearsal.
Record which steps the software supports, which require a manual check, and which are unavailable. A successful demonstration of one workflow does not establish support for every family arrangement. Ask separately about guardian or proxy access rather than assuming an ordinary patient account provides it.
Verify the actual HealthLink route
The HSE describes HealthLink as an electronic messaging service connecting healthcare organisations. It describes integrations with accredited systems; that does not mean every practice-software supplier has an available connection.
Ask Brigid does not currently offer a HealthLink connection. Check the current integrations page. Do not plan a HealthLink workflow on the assumption that Brigid converts or dispatches letters through it.
When evaluating a supplier that offers a connection, ask it to identify the supported message types, setup requirements, receiving system and evidence of a completed test. Confirm how staff distinguish a prepared letter, an attempted transmission and a delivery outcome. Agree a fallback with your practice; no delivery-time guarantee is made here.
Check whether Brigid fits your practice
Brigid brings administrative work such as the diary, records, templates and billing together. Where enabled for the clinic, note assistance can prepare a note or letter for the clinician to check, edit and sign. It does not decide treatment, interpret results or determine a person’s legal authority.
Bring your paediatric requirements to a workflow walkthrough, particularly guardian access, document visibility and correspondence. Ask for each requirement to be demonstrated and its status recorded. You can first explore the sample practice using invented records and no sign-up.
Editorial correction, 3 October 2026: this article replaces earlier unsupported HealthLink delivery and setup-time claims, broad statements about parental access, and unverified paediatric workflow promises.
Ask Brigid is looking for a small number of founding consultant practices. Request early access and we will reply with current availability and the next step.
Questions about paediatric practice software
Does Ask Brigid currently send letters through HealthLink?
No. HealthLink is not an available Ask Brigid connection. Confirm the current integration status and your practice’s existing correspondence route before planning a change.
Does a parent automatically have access to a child’s records?
No. The Data Protection Commission explains that children’s personal data belongs to the child and parents or guardians do not have an automatic entitlement to it. Requests need an appropriate assessment.
Can a registration form decide whether treatment can proceed?
No. A form records information; the treating professional remains responsible for the consent process. Refer to current HSE guidance and obtain appropriate advice for disputed or uncertain cases.
What should a practice test before changing software?
Use invented records to check patient and contact separation, staff permissions, document recipients, billing contacts, export scope and the actual correspondence route. Record any unsupported requirements before agreeing to go live.
Ask Brigid takes the admin so the clinic day stays clinical.
For private consultants
Leave when your last patient does.
Practice software built for speed. Brigid Clinical Intelligence takes on the admin, and your team approves every step.
See Ask Brigid for consultants How to choose practice software