I would like to wish a belated Happy New Year to all of you who work in, use and support our health and social care services.

I am delighted to confirm the appointment by the Minister for Health of Martin O’Halloran as our new Board Chairperson. Martin brings a wealth of leadership, governance and regulatory experience in public service to the role of Chair. Martin has also served as a Board member since 2021 and is very familiar with the work of HIQA, and this is critically important given the pace and breadth of change facing HIQA as we take on new and diverse functions. Martin, as a serving Board member, was intimately involved in the development of our Corporate Plan for 2025-2027 which places an increased focus on the outcomes and impact of our work. 

On behalf of everyone in HIQA. I wish Martin the very best in this role and look forward to working closely with him in his new role.

The health and social care sector is ever evolving and adapting to new research, technologies and evidence-based practice. Perhaps the greatest recent technological developments is the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in health and social care. AI has the potential to have a significant positive impact on the delivery of health and social care services with potential benefits to staff, families, researchers and regulators alike.   It is essential that the adoption and use of AI in healthcare settings is well governed, responsible and safe. It must be underpinned by clear evidence and a human rights focus. As a regulator, we understand that an important safeguard in terms of enabling the appropriate and effective use of AI is to equip providers, healthcare staff and service users with clear, reliable information. With this in mind, we have launched a public consultation on our Draft National Guidance for the Responsible and Safe use of Artificial Intelligence in Health and Social Care Services.

This Guidance aims to build awareness and good practice among staff around the responsible and safe use of AI to ensure safer, better care for people using health and social care services. It also aims to educate and empower people using services on what to expect when AI tools are used in their care. I encourage everyone, including you, our stakeholders and staff working in health and social care services, people using these services, their families, and carers, to read the draft guidance and share their views on this important topic with us. Your feedback will be invaluable in shaping how we navigate this increasingly dynamic and technology‑enabled future for health and social care.

Service users’ involvement is embedded in all of our work, from the development of national standards and health technology assessments to our regulatory activities across health and social care services. By actively engaging with people and listening to their lived experiences, we ensure that that our work is focused on what people need with the ultimate aim of enabling meaningful improvements in care. As part of HIQA’s work with the Centre in Ireland for Clinical guideline support and Evidence Reviews (CICER), our Director of Health Technology Assessment, Máirín Ryan, has been examining how we can engage meaningfully with users and their families when conducting research so that we can truly reflect what matters to them. In this issue, Máirín has written an article on her reflections, using practical real-life examples of how we incorporate public patient involvement in our work. Her article demonstrates the value of the insights gathered from those people who use services. It also highlights the importance of involving people early in the process to ensure that decisions are grounded in what matters toto both patients and clinicians. Máirín’s article is a powerful example of patients and clinicians working together ensure better outcomes for those using services. 

Another powerful example of collaborative working is illustrated in the recent Overview Reports on the Regulation of Children’s Services and of Disability Residential Services. Both reports contain examples of better outcomes for residents and children when services work together with those using their services. Through our regulatory activities and processes, we continue to seek to amplify the voices of children, young people and adults. Their lived experiences are critical to ensuring that our regulatory work truly focuses on those issues that really matter with the ultimate aim of effecting sustained improvement in service delivery.

In January, our Chief Inspector Designate Finbarr Colfer and Interim Deputy Chief Inspector of Social Services with responsible for disability services Ciara McShane were invited to appear before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Disability Matters to discuss the Overview Report on the regulation of disability services in 2024 which was published on International Day of Persons with Disabilities in December. This invitation gave them the opportunity to discuss how many service providers are striving to exceed the basic requirements of the legislation. The discussion on the Overview Report also demonstrated how regulation of the sector by HIQA continues to support these services to improve in terms of what is important for persons with disabilities and their families. 

At the end of 2025, we published the results of the second National Maternity Experience Survey which captured the views of women who gave birth in Ireland’s 19 maternity hospitals and units and also at home. The feedback showed clear insight into the improvements implemented in maternity care since the first survey was conducted in 2020. HIQA is pleased to report that the vast majority of women reported positive experiences of care, with most women saying they felt treated with dignity and respect and had confidence and trust in the healthcare professionals that cared for them. Women also highlighted areas for improvement including professionals having adequate time to discuss women’s concerns or questions and enabling appropriate sharing of patient information within and across healthcare settings. This is an important objective within the Health Information Bill which is at advanced stage.

In response to the survey findings, the HSE has published a ‘Listening, Responding and Improving’ report, which highlights the improvement initiatives is taking to address women’s feedback, many of which are already underway. HIQA is also using the findings to inform our monitoring and inspections of Ireland’s maternity services. 

Last month, together with the Environmental Protection Agency, we welcomed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in its Integrated Regulatory Review Service mission to Ireland. The mission provided opportunity for reflection, learning and knowledge sharing between partners and colleagues at national and international level on ionising radiation. Since the last mission in 2015, reviewers noted that Ireland has made significant progress in enhancing its legal and regulatory infrastructure, particularly with the establishment of HIQA as the competent authority for medical exposure. The team’s review, held from 19 to 28 January, found Ireland to be in compliance with IAEA safety standards, and formally acknowledged both HIQA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as independent, competent and trusted regulators and commented on the levels of cooperation and collaboration between both agencies in fulfilling their respective regulatory functions. The reviewers also identified recommendations and suggestions for further improvement of the overall effectiveness of Ireland’s regulatory system. We look forward to implementing these improvements together with the EPA, our partner agency for radiation protection, the Department of Health and the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment. 

In this issue, you can also find details on our advice on an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening programme for Men which was submitted to the National Screening Advisory Committee. There is also a feature on the publication of our National guidance on good communication in health and social care: using plain language to support effective communication with people using services. 

Best wishes

Angela