The Standards were sanctioned by the Minister for Health in May and they take immediate effect under Section 8 of the Health Act 2007. Every service, including hospitals, primary care and ambulance services, are expected to use the new Standards to improve the service they provide to patients.
At the launch of the Standards, HIQA chief executive Dr Tracey Cooper said: “Patients will have a clear expectation of the standard of care they can expect to receive and service providers will be clear on what is expected of them. The Standards provide, for the first time, a national and consistent approach to improving safety, quality and reliability in our health service.”
The new standards follow a number of high profile failures in the health system, including a year-long investigation into the running of Tallaght Hospital’s emergency department after an inquest into the death of a patient who died in a corridor while waiting for a bed.
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