The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has today launched a six-week public consultation on the draft National Guidance for the Responsible and Safe use of Artificial Intelligence in Health and Social Care Services. HIQA is inviting feedback on the draft national guidance from staff working in health and social care services, people using these services, their families, carers, and all stakeholders in the health and social care sector.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to deliver a wide range of benefits in all aspects of Irish society including the health and social care sector. AI is already being used across health and social care in Ireland and its role will continue to grow. It is evident that there are benefits relating to the use of AI in health and social care services, including streamlining administrative tasks, supporting diagnostics by identifying patterns in scans, and enabling preventative measures such as reducing hospital readmissions by predicting medical outcomes.
AI has the potential to enhance health and social care, but there are potential risks and it is important that human oversight is maintained. The use of AI tools must be guided by appropriate safeguards and be in compliance with legal obligations, including those set out in the EU AI Act. A system-wide approach to supporting the responsible and safe use of AI in health and social care is needed. The Department of Health, the Health Service Executive and HIQA are developing separate but coordinated programmes of work on AI in line with their organisational remits.
The purpose of this draft national guidance, commissioned by the Department of Health, is to promote awareness and build good practice among services and staff about the responsible and safe use of AI in their services. It aims to prepare the health and social care sector for the significant changes that are coming in this area, providing examples of the arrangements that services need to have in place to promote robust governance, transparency, and public engagement to support the responsible and safe use of AI. The guidance will also educate and empower people using services on how AI can be used safely and responsibly during their care.
The draft national guidance is underpinned by the principles of accountability, a human rights-based approach, safety and wellbeing, and responsiveness, which work together to achieve person-centred care and support. These principles are evidence-based, have been developed for use across all health and social care settings, and underpin national standards and guidance developed by HIQA.
The draft national guidance has been informed by extensive stakeholder engagement. HIQA also undertook an evidence review to inform the development of the draft national guidance, which has been published as part of this public consultation.
The consultation period will close at 5pm on Thursday, 05 March, 2026.