We can also investigate or carry out a service review into the safety, quality and standards of healthcare services if we believe there is a serious risk to the health and welfare of people using healthcare services.
We promote safety and quality in healthcare services in Ireland. To do this, we inspect and monitor public and private hospitals and rehabilitation and community healthcare services providers and speak with patients, staff and managers to find out if healthcare providers are meeting national standards.
On inspection, we check that the service provider, who runs the healthcare service, is meeting the required national standards. The standards explain what people receiving care in a healthcare service should expect from the service they are receiving.
We do a lot of things when we visit a healthcare service. This includes:
- Speaking with the people receiving care there, members of staff and the management of the centre to get an insight into how the healthcare service is run
- Reading documentation and other relevant records or paperwork to understand how the people receiving care in the healthcare service are being treated
- Visiting the areas where the healthcare service is delivered
The National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare aim to promote improvements in the quality and safety of healthcare services in Ireland. The standards set out what should be in place for safe and effective day-to-day service delivery. All healthcare service providers should use the standards to improve the quality and safety of the care they provide. We use standards to assess the quality and standard of care in Irish healthcare services.
Open the National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare (opens new tab)
After an inspection, we write a report on what we saw, heard and found in the healthcare service.
If we find that improvements are needed in a healthcare service, the service provider must give us a plan on how and when they will make these improvements. We will then monitor how the service is doing in making these improvements.
We also regulate facilities that provide medical exposures to ionising radiation to make sure that radiological procedures are carried out in line with the legislation.
Visit our page on ionising radiation to find out more about our work in that area (opens new tab)
Under the Health Act 2007 (as amended), section 8(1) (c), we monitor the compliance of a relevant healthcare service provider with the standards set by HIQA. Under the Health Act 2007 (as amended), section 8(1) (n), we regulate medical exposure to ionising radiation.
Open the Health Act 2007 (as amended) (external website)
The Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023 extended HIQA’s remit into private hospitals. It also provided for mandatory open disclosure by health services providers of certain specified incidents (notifiable incidents), as well as requiring health services providers to notify HIQA (or other relevant regulators) when a notifiable incident occurs.
Open the Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023 (external website)
The National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare aim to promote improvements in the quality and safety of healthcare services in Ireland. The standards set out what should be in place for safe and effective day-to-day service delivery. All healthcare service providers should use the standards to improve the quality and safety of the care they provide. We use standards to assess the quality and standard of care in Irish healthcare services.
Open the National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare (opens new tab)