Throughout 2018, we look forward to continuing our work of regulating nursing homes and helping to raise awareness of the constant need for improvement in the quality of care available to older persons living in nursing homes.
In the course of our regulatory activity, we have consistently sought to raise the standard of care in nursing homes. In most nursing homes, we have seen this improvement reflected in the quality of care offered to residents.
Many of the nursing homes regulated by HIQA are entering their third and fourth cycles of registration. This means that many nursing homes have been regulated since 2009.
In 2018, we will continue to emphasise the need for a person-centred approach to the care of residents.
This year, the Office of the Chief Inspector within HIQA will publish a further overview report of our regulatory work in nursing homes, which will describe in more detail the work carried out by our nursing home team during 2017. We hope the overview will contribute to better and safer care in these centres.