The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has published its Annual Report for 2025, which sets out the work carried out by the organisation during 2025 to achieve better outcomes in health and social care services for all people in Ireland.

This Annual Report is the first under the organisation’s Corporate Plan 2025-2027 and seeks to amplify the impact of HIQA’s work on those people using health and social services and at a population level through its core functions of setting standards, regulation and monitoring and its independent and rigorous evidence synthesis work to inform national policy and decision-making.

The Report also describes HIQA’s preparations during 2025 for a significant expansion of its regulatory remit across a range of diverse areas, including: licensing of public and private healthcare facilities; the regulation of all home support providers; the expansion of the Chief Inspector of Social Services’ powers to investigate individual complaints; and the implementation of the EU Critical Entities Directive to protect the State’s critical health and social care infrastructure against external attack. During 2025 we also continued to provide advice based on evidence to inform health policy or investment decisions and support the implementation of the European Health Data Space Regulation (EHDS) in Ireland which will empower people to take control of their own health data.

HIQA Chairperson, Martin O’Halloran, said: 
       
“I am honoured to lead HIQA as its fourth Chairperson at what is a critical time for the organisation, as we continue to take on new functions informed by emerging national and EU regulation, policy and priorities. The expansion of our role reflects not only the trust placed in HIQA as an independent regulator but also the growing complexity of Ireland’s health and social care system.”

HIQA Chief Executive, Angela Fitzgerald, said: 
  
“2025 was a year of continued progress for HIQA as we worked to support improvements in the quality and safety of health and social care services across Ireland. One of our core values is to be a trusted voice for those using services and the wider public. Our independent statutory reviews of emergency healthcare services in the Mid West and of the governance and oversight of implantable medical devices in Children’s Health Ireland are clear examples of where HIQA’s independence, along with its regulatory and evidence synthesis expertise, have enabled us to address complicated policy or safety issues and provide advice to support complex decisions by Government.

“It is important that we maintain a focus on continuous learning and evaluation of our approach as our remit expands to ensure we successfully deliver on our goals and objectives in line with the stronger emphasis on outcomes set out in our Corporate Plan. A central focus of our work is to enable safe, joined-up care and support. We continue to work closely with the Department of Health to assess how best to strengthen our regulatory framework, ensuring it remains robust and effective and fully aligned with the rapidly changing operating environment.

“I would like to thank our stakeholders, including service providers, advocacy organisations and people using services who worked with and supported us throughout 2025, and thank HIQA’s Board for its leadership, guidance and support and our staff for their extraordinary commitment and passion in delivering on our mission. Our strong and effective collaboration together is vital in progressing our shared vision of enabling the best possible outcomes for the people of Ireland.”

ENDS

Notes for Editor: 

• In 2025, HIQA carried out 2,116 inspections of health and social care services as follows:
  • 1,191 inspections of residential disability services
  • 757 inspections of nursing homes
  • 46 inspections of children’s services
  • 60 inspections of healthcare services, including emergency departments, private hospitals and community healthcare services
  • 25 inspections of facilities providing medical exposure to ionising radiation services
  • 37 inspections of accommodation centres for people seeking international protection in Ireland.
• HIQA’s independent statutory review of governance at Children’s Health Ireland provided 19 recommendations to improve governance and oversight of implantable medical devices, which was informed by the direct experiences of the families impacted.
• HIQA’s independent statutory review to inform decision-making around the design and delivery of urgent and emergency healthcare services in HSE Mid West was published in September 2025 and detailed three potential options for how to achieve safer healthcare in the region. In December 2025, Minister for Health announced that the Government had committed to implementing a combination of all three options presented in the report.
• In 2025, received 2,028 pieces of information about health and social care services from residents, families and the public which was used to inform how we regulated and monitored services, and to understand the real, lived experience of people using services.
• 24 health technology assessment and evidence synthesis publications were produced in 2025, providing advice to enable the best outcomes for people who use health services within the best use of resources.
• During the year, HIQA’s online learning courses on implementing national standards and guidance were completed 90,465 times.
• As part of its expanding remit, on 31 March 2025, the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC) was integrated into HIQA. NIAC provides independent evidence-based recommendations and advice to the Minister for Health on immunisation and related health matters and developing Immunisation Guidelines for Ireland.
      The European Health Data Space Regulation (EHDS) is a European Union law that creates a framework for the access, use and sharing of electronic health data across EU Member States.

About HIQA

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is the independent body that promotes safety and quality in the provision of health and social care services in Ireland. 

Through its regulation, standard setting and evidence to inform decision-making functions, HIQA supports health and social care services to consistently deliver excellent standards of care and the best possible health and social care outcomes for all.