1. COUNTRY/REGION:. Ireland

Website of the supervisory organisation: www.hiqa.ie

Is this website in English or partly in English? Yes

Contact person(s)

o Name and function. Tracey Cooper, Chief Executive

Address: Health Information and Quality Authority, Unit 1301, City Gate, Mahon, County Cork, Ireland

Email: tcooper@hiqa.ie

Telephone number: 00353212409385 Mobile phone

o Name and function...Deirdre Mulholland, Head of Standards and Methodology, Health information and Quality Authority.

Address                        Dublin Regional Office,

                                   Georges Court, Georges lane, Dublin 7, Ireland

Email                            dmulholland@hiqa.ie

Telephone numbe         353 (0) 814 7433     Mobile phone .353 (0) 87 7965049..

2. THE STRUCTURE OF THE SUPERVISORY ORGANISATION(s)

o The Head of the Supervisory Organisation (name and function).Tracey Cooper, Chief Executive

o Size of the Supervisory Organisation:

Number of inspections/supervisions or number of inspectors or number of full time equivalents of people working in the organisation; number of hospitals or health institutions under supervision

Currently

still commencing a number of functions. When fully commenced will be 2500 social care facilities inspected, approximately 100 healthcare facilities licensed

o Number of people working in the organisations: 160 Beginning 2012

o Other relevant information about the Supervisory Organisation in your

country or region

o Relation with the Department of Health. Report directly to Minister for Health. Department of Health is a key stakeholder

o Web address: www.hiqa.ie

3. THE SCOPE OF THE SUPERVISORY ORGANISATION(s)

o Is there supervision on health care in general?

Currently public sector only (excluding mental health) – moving to licensing of public and private in next 2 y

ears

o Is there supervision on hospitals

As above

o Is there supervision on other health care institutions like nursing homes/

convalescent homes?

Currently we inspect children’s residential care centres, register and inspect nursing homes. Will commence registration and inspection of residential centres for people with disabilities and monitor services for child protection and welfare in next 2 years

o Is there supervision on the production and the use of medicines?

We undertake Health Technology Assessments including drugs

o Is there a supervisory relation with health care professionals?

If yes, what kind of relation

There are professional regulatory bodies for the professionals. We work closely with them

o Other relevant information about the scope of the supervisory organisation.

Functions include: setting and monitoring standards, licensing health and social care providers, undertaking statutory investigations, statutory remit for Health Technology Assessment and advising on and developing effective health information

4. METHODS OF INSPECTATION OR SUPERVISION

o What methods of inspection or supervision are used in your country/region? Variable across different regulators. HIQA undertakes monitoring of standards for healthcare – while moving towards registration/licen

sing and inspection in the next 2- 3 years. We also undertake inspection and registration of social care centres

o Other information about the methods of inspection in your country /region

Other regulators commission other organisations to monitor against standards

5. WHAT IS THE COMPETENCE OF THE SUPERVISORY ORGANISATION IN YOUR COUNTRY?

o Is the supervisory organisation entitled to use compulsory measures

(sanction/repression/enforcement

We have formal sanc

tions and enforcement in our inspection of social care centres (e.g. nursing homes). These are custodial and fines.

o Is the supervisory organisation entitled to take precautions and implement measures to prevent accidents or incidents?

As above

o Does the supervisory organisation have the authority to close institutions

or stop non proper healthcare

A social care centre can be closed through the courts as the most extreme sanction for social care regulation

o Is the supervisory organisation allowed to interfere in other ways? Can remove licence, enforce recommendations for social care centres                  Yes

If yes, in what way?       Can remove registration of social care centres- nursing homes

o Other relevant information about the competence of the supervisory organisation

6. INTERESTING ONGOING DEVELOPMENTS IN YOUR COUNTRY/REGION

1. Challenging climate economically which requires creative models for robust supervision. Also need to develop capacity and capability of health service staff in effective governance and management can pose challenges to effectively managing the changes that are required.

2. There is a Forum for the Chief Executives of all the supervisory organisations for the health and social care sector in Ireland. This meets bi-monthly and has developed a number of ways of working more closely together to reduce the burden of inspection on providers and to share learning, education and training of inspectors and other common

areas.