The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA, /ˈhɪkwæ/; Irish: An t-Údarás um Fhaisnéis agus Cáilíocht Sláinte) is a statutory, government-funded agency in Ireland which monitors the safety and quality of the healthcare and social care systems.
[3] The Authority has produced a number of reports and recommendations on the safety of care in both public and private hospitals.
[6] As well as performing hospital evaluations, HIQA is charged with implementing electronic health records[7] and information governance,[8] investigating waiting times,[9] and protecting whistleblowers.
[10] After the Leas Cross scandal, there was increased demand for inspection of both private and public nursing homes.
As a result, HIQA was given powers to register, inspect and, via application to court, close nursing homes and similar residential services delivering sub-standard care.