We have published our annual report for 2020, outlining how the organisation responded and adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report outlines how we regulated health and social care services, developed evidence and advice for the National Public Health Emergency Team, and continued to fulfil our remit across other functions such as making recommendations on health information, developing standards for care and promoting quality improvement.
Our Chairperson, Professor Pat O’Mahony, said: “HIQA responded decisively to the pandemic, using our powers, resources and expert knowledge to contribute to the national and international fight against the disease. As the body with responsibility for conducting health technology assessments to inform national policy and health service decisions in Ireland, we advanced knowledge about the emerging virus. As the regulator, we continued to monitor the safety and quality of health and social care services, responding to risk and liaising with the Health Service Executive (HSE) to better assist those services that needed support.”
Our Chief Executive, Phelim Quinn, said: “2020 was a challenging year for everyone and every organisation. This report demonstrates how HIQA decisively responded to the pandemic, using our powers, resources and knowledge to contribute to the national fight against the disease. We engaged with Government and public health from the outset of the public health emergency, and liaised closely with our stakeholders to ensure a cohesive approach to tackling many of the challenges posed by COVID-19.
“As the regulator, we continued to monitor the safety and quality of health and social care services, responding to risk and liaising with the Health Service Executive to better assist those services that needed support. Our evidence synthesis work advanced knowledge about the emerging virus, providing advice to decision-makers on how COVID-19 could be better identified, tracked and traced, and how to better protect our vulnerable populations.”
The report also includes the Report of the Chief Inspector of Social Services, which details how health and social care services were supported to prepare for a COVID-19 outbreak, the findings of over 1,200 inspections of services, and the information received from and about services during the year.
Read the annual report here.