Statement 11

• RQIA


  The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority, the independent body responsible for monitoring and inspecting the availability and quality of health and social care services in Northern Ireland and encouraging improvements in the quality of those services
• RQIA's responsibilities


  1. Register and inspect a wide range of independent and statutory health and social care services

  2. Inspect around 1,500 health and social care services to ensure the delivery of minimum care standards, these can be announced or unannounced

  3. Publish reports of findings following inspections which set out improvements needed in a setting or sector

  4. Take enforcement action to drive improvements, including issuing notices of failure to comply with regulations, placing conditions of registration, taking action to impose fines, prosecuting or closing a service which fails to meet minimum standards

  5. Inspect the quality of care in acute hospitals, mental health and learning disability wards and in places of detention including prisons

  6. Assure the quality of services provided by Health and Social Care (HSC) Board and HSC trusts agencies, to ensure that every aspect of care reaches the standards laid down by the Department of Health, and expected by the public

  7. Carry out reviews and investigations to respond to specific issues of concern or failures in service provision
• Responsibilities of the Mental Health and Learning Disability Directorate within RQIA

  • Preventing ill treatment
  • Remedying any deficiency in care or treatment
  • Terminating improper detention in a hospital or guardianship by monitoring the appropriateness of all applications forms received from HSC Trusts
  • Preventing or redressing loss or damage to a patient's property
  • Promoting good practice
• Inspection approach


  • Look for evidence that the care being provided is safe, effective, compassionate, and well-led
  • Check that the service is delivering care in line with the standards, best practice, and legal requirements
  • Use a human rights-based approach to inspection, examining the quality of these services, and make recommendations for improvement based on the key principles of the human rights-based approach
• Key principles of the human rights-based approach

  • Dignity
  • Respect
  • Autonomy
  • Fairness
  • Equality
  • Protection
• RQIA's inspection process


  1. Review all information regarding the Health and social care setting prior to an inspection, including previous reports, records of complaints, whistleblowing, or other intelligence

  2. Conduct comprehensive inspections evaluating various aspects of care provision, including safety, effectiveness, and compassion
• RQIA's enforcement actions


  Take enforcement actions against organisations in the independent sector that fail to meet minimum standards of care, including the ability to close settings that pose a risk to the safety or well-being of service users
• Ways RQIA contributes to improving the quality of services in the HSC settings


  • Apply sanctions to care facilities
  • Issue reports to the public
  • Ensure the well-being of service users
  • Look after vulnerable service users
  • Set quality standards
  • Maintain a database of all registered services; public can check these reports
  • Investigate complaints in care facilities