The Health Information and Quality Authority is the independent authority established under the Health Act 2007 to drive continuous improvement and to monitor safety and quality in Ireland’s health and personal social care services. Since 2009 all nursing homes - public, voluntary and private have been registered and inspected by HIQA.
Under Section 8 of the Act HIQA has statutory responsibility for setting standards on safety and quality, which are subject to approval by the Minister for Health under Section 10(2) of the Act. The Board of HIQA has submitted revised standards for Ministerial approval as required. These are currently under consideration by the Department.