Welcome to our latest newsletter.

Ireland’s population-based health screening services are vital for the early detection and treatment of cancer, diabetic retinopathy and inherited conditions and hearing difficulties in new-born babies. Over the past few weeks, HIQA has announced some important developments on its work in relation to the screening programmes.

Based on our health technology assessment, in April we provided advice to the Minister for Health on extending BowelScreen to people aged 50 to 54. Our evidence review found that there are clear clinical benefits to expanding the programme to this age group. We also advised that capacity issues currently within the services should be addressed to ensure expansion does not impact the current screening programme or wider services. Following publication of our assessment, the Minister announced that the age range of the programme will be extended based on our advice.

Last week, we also published the Terms of Reference for a new review of the governance arrangements in place by the Health Service Executive (HSE) for the provision of population-based health screening services in Ireland. This review is an opportunity for a proactive, independent assessment by HIQA’s Healthcare Team of the national screening services which will provide assurances to the public. Once completed, it will help ensure that growth and expansion in Ireland’s health screening services is built upon strong foundations of governance and management, and will support continuous improvement as services develop.

We also recently announced that we will be undertaking health technology assessments on behalf of the Screening programme to consider the following proposed changes to the existing suite of population-based screening programmes:

• consideration of breast density within the BreastCheck programme, 
• the addition of congenital adrenal hyperplasia to the National Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme, and
• the addition of population-based screening for familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) in children.

Our advice in these areas will support the National Screening Advisory Committee to ensure that screening decisions are grounded in independent analysis of clinical effectiveness, safety, cost organisational impacts and ethical issues.

In this issue, we also detail our recent advice issued to the Minister for Health to inform the development of health policy. For example, our assessment of RSV immunisation for infants and older adults found that it is safe and effective, but costly. Given the limited health budget, there are competing resources for critical services, and investment decisions must be carefully considered by the Government. We highlighted the opportunity costs in this assessment, and the need for the HSE to negotiate prices that are lower than those listed or reported internationally, if immunisation is to be cost effective.

As the regulator, the collaboration of stakeholders is vital in progressing our shared vision of enabling the best possible outcomes for the people of Ireland. You will see recent examples of our engagement with stakeholders throughout this newsletter, including the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ombudsman for Children, Niall Muldoon. This MOU will strengthen the sharing of information and enable ongoing co-operation between the Ombudsman and HIQA to support the protection of vulnerable children. We also met with colleagues from across the European Union to help ensure best practice in supporting implementing the European Health Data Space (EHDS) Regulation in Ireland. The EHDS will transform how health data and information is accessed, shared and used to support better outcomes for everyone. 

Similarly, as part of our work on how best to implement standards in practice, we engaged with professionals on how we can support the social care sector. We also met many members of the public to discuss how we regulate nursing homes at the 50 Plus Show in Dublin last month. These were welcome opportunities to engage with front-line staff within services, and relatives and friends of people within nursing homes, as well as those planning for their own future care. Their feedback is critical in ensuring that our regulatory approach focuses on what is really important to residents and their families. It also provided us with valuable insights of our inspection process from a staff perspective. 

The voices of people using services are strongly evident in our Overview Report on Monitoring of International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres in 2025. Throughout the report, we have used the feedback from over 700 IPAS residents, as well as from over 280 completed questionnaires, to highlight the real lived experiences of people seeking international protection in Ireland. Their voices highlight the improvements made within IPAS centres designated under our remit since HIQA inspections began in 2024, with many improvements identified within living conditions and for residents’ quality of life since that time.

At HIQA, we strive to be an employer of choice. I am pleased to share that we have been awarded the Investors in Diversity Bronze Accreditation by the Irish Centre for Diversity. The Award recognises the steps that we have taken as an organisation to build an inclusive, respectful and equitable workplace. Last year, we launched our People and Culture Strategy 2025-2027, aligned with our Corporate Plan. The Strategy focuses on how we will support and empower our people, and how we will continue to nurture a culture of collaboration and shared purpose within HIQA. A core objective of this Strategy is on further embedding a culture of diversity, equality and inclusion across the organisation. We are striving to become leaders in this area and hope to also embed this focus in our regulatory and standard setting processes.  

Best wishes,

Angela