HIQA

Are you working in a health and social care service? Our online learning course on adult safeguarding can support you.

The course, National Standards for Adult Safeguarding: Putting the standards into practice, aims to support front-line staff working in all health and social care services to implement the standards in their day-to-day practice.

It highlights the importance of good communication between people and services, and the importance of working in a way that places those using the service at the centre of everything they do.

You can take the online learning course here: https://www.hiqa.ie/areas-we-work/national-standards

We have published a rapid health technology assessment of immunisation against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in Ireland.

RSV is a highly contagious virus that infects the lungs and upper airways and is transmitted by coughing, sneezing or breathing. For most people, RSV can be managed without seeing a doctor but it can cause more severe infections that can lead to hospitalisation.

There is evidence that new medicinal products to protect infants and older adults against RSV are safe and effective.
Our assessment looked at the costs for the HSE of different immunisation strategies for infants aged less than one year and for adults aged 65 and older for the 2025-2026 RSV season.

We found that:
- The estimated one-year cost of immunising infants for their first RSV season ranged from €3.9 to €19 million, and costs would be partially offset by fewer hospitalisations.
- The estimated one-year cost of immunising everyone aged 65+ years was €146 million, or over €76 million if only offered to those aged 75+ years.
- Extending RSV immunisation to infants and older adults would be logistically challenging given their large numbers and the need to deliver immunisation within a short time frame before the start of the RSV season.
- It will be important to collect data to support the ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of any programme that is implemented.

We have submitted our assessment as advice to the Minister for Health and HSE to inform an interim policy decision on RSV immunisation for the 2025-2026 RSV season.
We will now conduct a larger assessment to provide advice to inform a longer-term policy decision on RSV immunisation.

Learn more at: https://www.hiqa.ie/reports-and-publications/health-technology-assessment/rapid-health-technology-assessment

Today marks , a celebration of the potential, creativity, and capacity of young individuals to make positive change.

As we develop national standards for health and social care services, we actively engage with people who use these services, recognising their invaluable insights in shaping standards that empower them to achieve their fullest potential.

We also support children and young people in care by inspecting Oberstown Detention Campus, statutory children’s residential centres, foster care services, child protection and welfare services and special care units.

Our Learning Hub provides resources for services caring for and supporting children, including supporting children living in residential centres, communicating in plain English, and how to have effective everyday conversations.

Access it at: https://www.hiqa.ie/learning-hub/supporting-children

Did you know that we have a role to conduct health technology assessments?

Health technology assessment (HTA) is a multidisciplinary research process that collects and summarises information about a health technology.

The information can cover a range of fields, including clinical effectiveness and safety, cost effectiveness and budget impact, organisational and social aspects, and ethical and legal issues.

Our Guide to Health Technology Assessment provides an overview of what health technology assessment (HTA) is and how it is conducted by HIQA.

You can read it here: http://bit.ly/2yVW6lZ

We have developed a number of online learning courses to support health and social care staff to implement national standards.

Visit out Learning Hub to find courses on infection prevention and control, adult safeguarding, advocacy, and a human rights-based approach.

These courses were created in collaboration with people using health and social care services, advocates, staff providing care and support, and inspectors of health and social care services.

You can find out more about our courses here: https://bit.ly/3no4sxa

Following a request from the National Screening Advisory Committee we have started work on a health technology assessment of extending the BowelScreen programme to those aged 50 to 54.

Once finished, this assessment will inform the National Screening Advisory Committee’s recommendation on whether colorectal cancer screening should be expanded to this age group.

BowelScreen started in 2012 and screens for colorectal cancer by detecting blood in the stool and is currently available to those aged 59 to 69.

Find out more: https://www.hiqa.ie/hiqa-news-updates/hiqa-commences-assessment-extending-bowelscreen-those-aged-50-54-years

There is still time to take part in the sixth National Inpatient Experience Survey. The survey closes on 31 July. If you received the survey, you can complete it and return it either online or by post.

Sharing your experiences of care will help hospitals to make improvements where needed.

The survey is part of the National Care Experience Programme, a collaboration between us, the HSE Ireland and Roinn Sláinte, Department of Health.

You can learn more about the survey, taking part and how to return your survey responses on www.yourexperience.ie.

We have published our health technology assessment of (herpes zoster) vaccination for adults, following a public consultation that took place from 19 March to 30 April.

Our assessment provides advice to the Minister for Health to inform a decision on whether to include shingles vaccination as part of the adult immunisation programme.

Our HTA was requested by the Department of Health following a clinical recommendation from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee.

We found that:
• the vaccine is safe and effective
• the benefit of the vaccine decreases over time
• at the current price, adding shingles vaccination to the routine immunisation schedule for the general population aged 50+ would not be an efficient use of HSE resources.

Read our assessment and public consultation feedback at https://www.hiqa.ie/reports-and-publications/health-technology-assessment/health-technology-assessment-herpes-zoster

We are delighted to share that our online learning courses have been completed over 300,000 times.

These courses were designed to support staff working in health and social care services to understand and implement national standards in their day-to-day work.

We develop national standards for health and social care services to make sure that people using these services receive the best possible care and support.

The courses support the implementation of national standards and the development of good practice and are available online on our Learning Hub: https://www.hiqa.ie/learning-hub

By taking part in the National Inpatient Experience Survey, you can share your experience of hospital care in Ireland, and help us to make improvements where needed.
Please tell us about your before the survey closes on 31 July, by visiting our website www.yourexperience.ie

You can help us to make improvements to the care provided to patients in Ireland! If you have been invited to take part in the National Inpatient Experience Survey, please take the time to fill it out before 31 July.

Sharing your experience with us will help us to improve hospital care in Ireland. Your feedback will help us to identify areas of good experience in our hospital, and areas needing improvement in our hospital.

For more information visit www.yourexperience.ie

Tá an Suirbhé Náisiúnta ar Eispéireas Othar Cónaitheach faoi lánseoil. Iarrfar ar othair a scaoileadh amach as ospidéal in Éirinn le linn mhí na Bealtaine páirt a ghlacadh agus a dtaithí ar chúram ospidéil a roinnt.

Iarrfaidh an suirbhé ar dhaoine atá 16 bliana d’aois agus níos sine, agus a scaoiltear amach as an ospidéal le linn mhí na Bealtaine, a dtuairimí a thabhairt faoin gcúram faighte acu.
Cuirfear ceisteanna ar othair faoi gach gné dá taithí ospidéil, ligean isteach agus scaoileadh amach, timpeallacht an bharda, cúram agus cóireáil, agus cumarsáid le gairmithe cúram sláinte.

Má fuair tú cuireadh chun páirt a ghlacadh, roinn do thuairimí le do thoil, líon isteach an suirbhé agus seol ar ais tríd an bpost é, nó is féidir páirt a ghlacadh ar líne ag www.yourexperience.ie roimh 31 Iúil 2024.

Comhthionscnamh de chuid HIQA, FSS agus an Roinn Sláinte is ea an Suirbhé Náisiúnta ar Eispéiris Othar Cónaitheach.
Chun tuilleadh a fháil faoin Suirbhé Náisiúnta ar Eispéireas Othar Cónaitheach, téigh chuig www.yourexperience.ie.

A reminder that public consultation on our draft health technology assessment on enhanced flu vaccination for people aged 65+ is open for feedback until Thursday 11 July. To read the draft report and complete an online survey or a downloadable feedback form, visit the link below.

Following the public consultation, the report will be finalised and submitted as advice to the Minister for Health and HSE, and published on our website.

https://www.hiqa.ie/reports-and-publications/consultation/influenza-vaccination-health-technology-assessment-public

We have published a joint report with the EPA Ireland on the average radiation exposure received by the Irish population. Our assessment found that average exposure amount remains similar to 10 years ago. Radon is still the main source of radiation exposure for the public.

As part of the assessment, we reviewed medical exposure to patients, finding that the average amount of radiation from medical exposure has decreased. This is in part due to increased access to new and improved medical imaging.

Our report found that about 10% of exposure received by the Irish population comes from medical exposures, such as X-rays and CT scans, while almost 90% comes from natural sources of radiation.

Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, contributes almost 60% of the annual exposure amount. People in Ireland on average receive a higher average radiation dose than the global average mainly due to relatively high radon exposure in indoor air in the country.

This higher average radon exposure is of concern, as radon is a major cause of lung cancer. Fortunately, it is easy to test for radon and to reduce radon levels in a home. The EPA recommends that every house is tested for radon.

You can find out more about all sources of radiation exposure received by the Irish population by reading the full report at https://www.hiqa.ie/reports-and-publications/key-reports-investigations/ionising-radiation-national-dose-report

A reminder that public consultation on our draft health technology assessment on enhanced flu vaccination for people aged 65+ is open for feedback until Thursday 11 July. To read the draft report and complete an online survey or a downloadable feedback form, visit the link below.

Following the public consultation, the report will be finalised and submitted as advice to the Minister for Health and HSE, and published on the HIQA website.

https://www.hiqa.ie/reports-and-publications/consultation/influenza-vaccination-health-technology-assessment-public

We have published our 2023 Annual Report which details our work to improve the quality and safety of Ireland’s health and social care services throughout the last year.

In 2023 we carried out over 2,100 inspections in nursing homes, residential centres for people with disabilities, children’s services, public hospitals and dentists.

Over the year we also progressed work in making recommendations around health information, developing standards for care, and driving quality improvement through creating online learning courses and other supports.

Read the full report here: https://www.hiqa.ie/hiqa-news-updates/hiqa-releases-its-2023-annual-report

World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is being marked today around the world. The day is an opportunity for all of us to raise awareness around the abuse, mistreatment and neglect of older people.

Protecting and promoting the rights of older people is a key priority for us.

We do this through inspections and developing national standards.

Together with the Mental Health Commission and a wide range of stakeholders we developed National Standards for Adult Safeguarding. The standards recognise that any adult whether they are younger or older may be at risk of harm and may need help to protect themselves at certain points in their lives.

You can find them here: https://www.hiqa.ie/reports-and-publications/standard/national-standards-adult-safeguarding

By taking part in the National Inpatient Experience Survey, you can share your experience of hospital care in Ireland, and help us to make improvements where needed.

Please tell us about your experience before the survey closes on 31 July, by visiting our website www.yourexperience.ie

"We have developed guidance for health and social care services in Ireland on implementing a human rights-based approach to care and support for adults.

Using practical scenarios, the Guidance on a Human Rights-based Approach in Health and Social Care Services outlines how health and social care staff can uphold human rights in their work.

The guidance was developed with Safeguarding Ireland and part-funded by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission under the Human Rights and Equality Grant Scheme 2017.

It was informed by international and national evidence and feedback from focus group discussions and public consultation.

The guidance aims to ensure the human rights of people are promoted and protected when they require care and support from health and social care services in Ireland.

Learn more at http://bit.ly/2X8058b.

The support of hospital staff is essential in helping us encourage patients to take part in the survey.
A big thank you to all our colleagues in the HSE for their continued support and encouraging eligible patients to tell us about their experience when they receive the survey in June.
All patients aged 16 years and over who were discharged from one of the 40 public hospitals in Ireland during May will be invited to participate in the survey.
All the responses to the survey will be used to improve hospital care in Ireland.
Find out more visit www.yourexperience.ie.

Today we have launched a public consultation on our draft health technology assessment on the use of an enhanced inactivated influenza (flu) vaccine in those aged 65 years and older, as part of the HSE’s Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Programme.

This assessment will inform the Minister for Health’s decision-making on whether enhanced influenza vaccines should be funded by the HSE for those aged 65 years and older.

Currently, a standard vaccine is used. However, people’s immune systems change as they age and as a result, standard vaccines may be less effective in older adults.

We found that switching to one of the enhanced flu vaccines for those aged 65 years and older would be a good use of resources for the HSE. This finding is highly sensitive to the vaccine cost, making it a key consideration in any decision to fund an enhanced flu vaccine and in price negotiations with vaccine manufacturers.

We have published our draft findings and welcome feedback on the draft report to inform our advice. Take part in our consultation at the link below by 5pm on Thursday 11 July.

Following the public consultation, the report will be finalised and submitted as advice to the Minister for Health and HSE, and published on the HIQA website.

https://www.hiqa.ie/reports-and-publications/consultation/influenza-vaccination-health-technology-assessment-public

Calling all persons in charge! Our new online learning course for persons in charge is now live.

A person in charge is a key role appointed by the provider of a designated centre to perform the day-to-day management of the service. This person may have clinical, social and operational responsibilities.

At HIQA, we strive to support health and social care professionals to continuously develop and to improve their service through the development of national standards and support materials. We have a number of eLearning courses aimed at helping staff, students, academics and people using health and social care services alike.

We hope our new eLearning course for persons in charge will support them in providing safe quality services for residents.

Find out more at:
https://rise.articulate.com/share/1orHjAz8OPUKIsVpK9WwVvIG6zKPFm5a #/

We have published a toolkit to support effective communication with children, families and foster carers using children’s social services.

The ‘Fundamentals of good communication: How to have effective everyday conversations’ was developed alongside Tusla to support Tusla staff to communicate effectively people using children’s social services.

It aims to help ensure that children, families and foster carers understand what is happening on a day-to-day basis, feel involved in decisions that affect their lives, and have a sense of control regarding their care and support.

View the toolkit and other resources on our Learning Hub: https://www.hiqa.ie/learning-hub

We have published an evidence review of universal ultrasound screening for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in infants in Ireland. The review was requested by the National Screening Advisory Committee (NSAC).

DDH is a congenital disease where the ‘ball and socket’ joint of the hip does not properly form in babies and young children. DDH can affect one or both hips, and is more common in girls, firstborn children and babies born in the breech position. In mild cases, the symptoms (for example, pain) may resolve without treatment. For those with more severe DDH, early intervention is needed, as DDH can result in long-term pain, early osteoarthritis of the hip and back, and the need for hip replacements.

Routine health checks of infants look for physical signs of DDH, but these checks will not identify all cases. Ultrasound images can help identify more infants with DDH. In Ireland, there is no universal screening programme in place (that is, a programme that screens all infants); instead, infants who are at greater risk of DDH may be selected for ultrasound examination.

Our review found that there is substantial uncertainty around whether or not introducing a universal ultrasound screening would be beneficial over and above selective screening. This report has been submitted to the NSAC.

You can find the full report at www.hiqa.ie