Last year the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) carried out 1,329 inspections of designated centres for people with disabilities and 726 inspections of nursing homes.
That is according to HIQA’s annual report for 2022 which was published today.
“2022 was a busy year for HIQA…throughout the year we furthered our preparations to take on new responsibilities, including through the commencement of the Patient Safety Bill and the inspection of International Protection Accommodation Services,” said HIQA’s Chief Executive, Ms Angela Fitzgerald.
“We remain committed to protecting and upholding the human rights of all people using health and social care services in Ireland.”
In 2022 the Authority also carried out 63 ionising radiation inspections in public and private hospitals and dental facilities; 54 inspections of children’s services; and 20 inspections of acute and community hospitals.
The annual report outlines how HIQA resumed full inspection and monitoring activities due to the relaxation of Covid-19 public health restrictions, and how providers, staff and services users all settled into the ‘new normal’ of post-pandemic life.
In 2022, HIQA published 13 evidence synthesis reviews or advice on Covid-19 for the Minister for Health, Department of Health and National Public Health Emergency Team.
“As the regulator, we continued to monitor the safety and quality of health and social care services, responding to risk as appropriate and supporting improvement in services,” said Ms Fitzgerald.
“We commenced a new programme of inspections in acute and community healthcare services against the National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare, and used our position as a trusted voice on behalf of patients and the public to drive improvements in these services.”
Read the annual report at www.hiqa.ie
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.