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.
