Tuesday, November 5th 2013
Publication by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) of a new guide about the regulation and inspection of disability services will be a useful and informative tool.
Beginning this week, HIQA now has responsibility for the inspection and regulation of residential services for people with disabilities. This is a very positive change, and is something which those within the disability sector have been seeking for a number of years. I am very pleased, therefore, that HIQA is publishing this new guide to provide helpful and clear information on how the new system will work.
Quality of service is paramount for everybody involved in disability services, from the people who benefit from these services, their families to those providing these services. Residential services covered by the new regime include institutions, supported community living and residential respite services for people with disabilities. This new inspection regime will help to ensure that all services are moving towards delivering the highest attainable standards in the interests of people with disabilities.
The guide published by HIQA address many of the queries about how the new system will work, providing a useful and informative tool. The guide provides information on what services are covered, how inspections will work and how to identify an inspector from HIQA. The HIQA guide also runs through some of the questions people may have and provides details on how to get further information. I hope that the guide provided by HIQA will provide reassurance and helpful information on how the inspection and regulation regime will work.