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Message from our CEO, Angela Fitzgerald |
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Welcome to the April issue of our newsletter.
Changes in the health and social care sector can happen quickly. As the sector is fundamentally about services being delivered by people for people, such changes can impact on the people using services, service providers, decision-makers, funders and on HIQA as the regulator.
Over the past few months we have seen some key changes to our role and the regulations we monitor against which we share with you in this issue. |
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HIQA review of Children's Health Ireland makes 19 recommendations |
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We have published a report on our independent statutory review into governance and oversight of the use of surgical implants and implantable medical devices in Children's Health Ireland (CHI), including at CHI Temple Street. Commenting on the publication of the report, HIQA’s Director of Healthcare Regulation, Sean Egan, said: "Our review identified that the controls in place within CHI for the management of the end-to-end processes did not provide the necessary adequate safeguards at each stage of the process. As a result, children were not protected from the risk of harm." |
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National Immunisation Advisory Council moves to HIQA
NIAC provides evidence-informed advice on vaccines, immunisation and related health matters to inform health policies in Ireland.
Last month, the National Immunisation Advisory Council (NIAC) officially came under our remit, meaning that NIAC’s work is now a statutory function of HIQA.
The move to HIQA from the Royal College of Physicians recognises the critical role NIAC plays as a National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group in supporting safe and effective evidence-informed immunisation policies.
NIAC will continue to deliver independent recommendations and advice to the Minister for Health, develop the National Immunisation Guidelines for Ireland and advocate for best immunisation practices in Ireland.
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Updated nursing home regulations come into force |
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Significant changes to regulations for nursing homes took effect from 31 March. These changes to the regulations focus on areas such as governance and management, residents’ rights, infection control and shorter timelines for nursing homes to notify us of key events to improve the safety and welfare of residents.
Speaking about the regulations, Deputy Chief Inspector of Social Services, Susan Cliffe said: "As people get older, they must be supported to live active and fulfilling lives where their human rights are protected and promoted and in settings that are local and promote their independence as far as possible. These updated powers for the Chief Inspector represent the most extensive update to the regulations since the commencement of regulating nursing homes in 2009. We welcome their introduction and the enhanced protections they will provide for residents." |
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Scoping consultation on a National Framework for use of Artificial Intelligence in Health and Social Care begins
We are holding a scoping consultation to inform the development of a National Framework for the Responsible and Safe Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Health and Social Care. The framework will be used to encourage good practice among service providers and staff about the responsible and safe use of AI in health and social care services and to support and empower people using those services by helping them to understand their rights regarding the use of AI while engaging with those services.
The consultation will run until Friday, 2 May 2025.
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 | First overview report on monitoring in International Protection Accommodation Service Centres published
In March, we published our first overview report on the monitoring and inspecting of International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centres. Over the course of 2024 we carried out 60 inspections of 51 centres, and found that many service providers ensured that their centres were of a good standard and that the services they were delivering were safe, of a high quality and promoted and protected the rights of residents. However, challenges remain to ensure that people seeking asylum are safe and protected from risk. |
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Updated national guidelines for budget impact analysis in health technology assessment
Last month we updated our guidelines for conducting economic evaluation and budget impact analysis in health technology assessments. The guidelines are intended to inform economic evaluations or budget impact analyses conducted by, or on behalf of HIQA, the Department of Health, the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics and the HSE, as well as health
technology developers preparing applications for reimbursement. |
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National Maternity Experience Survey to begin
The National Maternity Experience Survey commences next month, giving women who gave birth in February or March 2025 a chance to share their experiences. This initiative, led by HIQA, the HSE and the Department of Health, aims to improve the quality and safety of maternity care.
Feedback from the 2020 survey led to key service improvements, and this cycle will help track progress and identify further needs. Invitations will be sent to eligible participants via text between May and June 2025.
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CICER to develop tool to estimate cost of infectious disease outbreaks
CICER, the Centre in Ireland for Clinical guideline support and Evidence Reviews, has commenced research to develop and pilot a tool to estimate the cost of infectious disease outbreaks in public acute hospitals. At present, there is no standardised approach to estimate the cost of disease outbreaks in Irish acute hospitals. This research aims to provide a tool that will aid understanding of the financial impacts of disease outbreaks to inform resource allocation and further investments in infection prevention and control measures. CICER is funded by the Health Research Board and hosted by HIQA. |
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© 2025. Published by the Health Information and Quality Authority, George's Court, George's Lane, Dublin 7, D07 E98Y.
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