Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler, will today address the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) conference marking 15 years of regulation of nursing homes, reflecting on this important phase in the ongoing improvement of the long-term residential care system in Ireland.
Minister Butler said:
“This conference gave us an excellent opportunity to reflect on HIQA’s vital role in monitoring and assessing the compliance of nursing homes with regulatory standards. HIQA inspections support the maintenance of high standards within this sector, ensuring residents are receiving safe and appropriate care in nursing homes across Ireland.”
Minister Butler affirmed this Government’s strong commitment to services for older people in line with the principles of Sláintecare:
“I am committed to supporting and enabling people to access the right supports at the right time within the health service. This is reflected in Budget 2025, which will bring the total investment in older person services to close to €3 billion next year. This represents the largest investment in Older Persons services in the history of the State.”
Minister Butler highlighted ongoing work within the Department of Health to strengthen the regulatory framework for nursing homes and support compliance with Regulations. This includes:
- The recently enacted Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) (No.2) Act 2024, which has introduced a number of changes to the Health Act 2007 to strengthen the Chief Inspector’s powers.
- The €10 million Nursing Home Resident Safety Improvement (RSI) Scheme, which assists eligible voluntary and private nursing homes by contributing towards works to improve compliance with Regulation 27 (Protection against infection) and Regulation 28 (Fire precautions).
Minister Butler concluded by expressing her full support for HIQA and recognising the hard work and dedication of HIQA staff in supporting the provision of quality care to residents by nursing home providers across the country.
