Health Information and Quality Authority
HIQA is Ireland's independent statutory regulator under the Health Act 2007 that sets standards, registers, and inspects over 2,700 designated health and social care centres and regulates medical ionising radiation, patient safety incident reporting, and international protection accommodation services.
- Company typePublic
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersCork, Ireland
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Health Information and Quality Authority does
Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is an independent statutory authority of the Irish government, established under the Health Act 2007, charged with improving health and social care services for the population of Ireland. The organisation operates a regulatory mandate spanning the registration, inspection, and enforcement of standards across designated centres including nursing homes, disability services, children's residential centres, special care units, and healthcare facilities. It has additionally been designated as Ireland's competent authority for regulating medical exposure to ionising radiation (since 2018-2019) and regulates international protection accommodation services. HIQA publishes national standards, conducts announced and unannounced inspections, manages a national incident reporting regime under the Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023, and runs health technology assessment and immunisation advisory functions.
HIQA's operational technology stack comprises web-based regulatory systems accessible at WCAG 2.1 level AA. The Provider Portal allows designated centres to submit statutory regulatory notifications online, while the National Incident Management System (NIMS) supports notifiable incident reporting under the Patient Safety Act. The website and learning hub deliver public-facing reports, guidance documents, and e-learning courses covering restrictive practice, fire safety, and plain-language communication. As a state body, HIQA does not generate commercial revenue; its funding flows through Oireachtas appropriations supplemented by annual registration fees from the 2,731 designated centres under its oversight, with renewal required at a three-year cadence.
Health Information and Quality Authority firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Health Information and Quality Authority
- Legal name
- Health Information and Quality Authority
- Website
- https://hiqa.ie
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- HIQA is Ireland's independent statutory regulator under the Health Act 2007 that sets standards, registers, and inspects over 2,700 designated health and social care centres and regulates medical ionising radiation, patient safety incident reporting, and international protection accommodation services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Health Information and Quality Authority industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Healthcare Regulatory Services
- NAICS
- Public Administration (92), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921)
- SIC
- Hospital & Medical Service Plans (6324)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Health Technology Assessment (HTA) & Reimbursement Policy Bodies (HLAJACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Health Information Exchange & Public Health Data Integration (HLAJAJAD)
Keywords
Where Health Information and Quality Authority is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cork
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Health Information and Quality Authority business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Government Funding: HIQA is an independent statutory authority funded by the Irish government to improve health and social care services. Revenue is derived from annual registration fees charged to designated centres and government appropriations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Registration fees for designated centres |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Health Information and Quality Authority product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HIQA is Ireland's independent statutory authority that regulates, inspects, and registers designated health and social care centres (nursing homes, disability services, children's residential centres, hospitals, and international protection accommodation services). It also develops national standards, conducts health technology assessments, and regulates medical exposure to ionising radiation across Ireland.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Registration of Designated Centres Statutory registration of designated centres under the Health Act 2007, including nursing homes, disability services, children's residential centres, and special care units. Three-year registration with renewal required six months in advance; mandatory for any provider operating a designated centre in Ireland.
- Regulatory Inspection of Designated Centres On-site inspections of health and social care providers conducted by HIQA inspectors, including announced, short-notice announced, and unannounced inspections. Findings are published as inspection reports used to inform registration and enforcement decisions.
- Ionising Radiation Regulation Statutory regulation of medical exposure to ionising radiation in Ireland, including incident notification for accidental or unintended medical exposures. Governed by the EU Basic Safety Standards Regulations 2018 and 2019 and applies to undertakings providing medical exposure to ionising radiation.
- Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Evidence-based health technology assessments that inform healthcare policy and procurement decisions in Ireland. Provided to healthcare commissioners, providers, and the Department of Health to support decisions on the adoption, reimbursement, and use of health technologies.
- National Standards Development Development of national standards for health and social care services in Ireland. Standards are used by providers to benchmark quality and safety, and serve as the reference criteria used during HIQA inspections.
- National Incident Management System (NIMS) National Treasury Management Agency-managed system used by private health services providers to submit notifiable incident reports to HIQA under the Patient Safety (Notifiable Incidents and Open Disclosure) Act 2023. Open to private and public health service providers required to report patient safety incidents.
- Find a Centre Directory Public online directory of 2,731 registered designated centres across Ireland covering children's services, older person's services, disability services, healthcare services, and international protection accommodation. Available to service users, families, and the general public seeking information about registered providers.
- Provider Portal Online portal enabling designated centres to submit statutory regulatory notification information and manage registration compliance online. Used by both private providers and HSE-funded services.
- National Care Experience Programme National programme that captures and reports the experiences of people using health and social care services in Ireland. Findings are used by providers and policymakers to inform service improvement.
Quantifiable outcome
- Regulatory oversight of 2,731 registered centres and facilities across Ireland
Companies that use Health Information and Quality Authority
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Health Information and Quality Authority technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Health Information and Quality Authority partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Tusla - Child and Family AgencycoreTusla is Ireland's Child and Family Agency that may seek Special Care Orders through courts for placement in special care units. HIQA's Chief Inspector has legal responsibility for monitoring, inspection and registration of all special care units for children in Ireland as of January 2018.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Health Information and Quality Authority competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- The Joint Commission: US-based independent accreditation body for hospitals and healthcare organizations. Comparable in setting standards and conducting inspections, but operates a commercial accreditation model rather than a statutory one.
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care: Australian government body leading national safety and quality standards in healthcare. Comparable to HIQA's healthcare services regulation and national standards-setting functions across a much larger jurisdiction.
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE): UK body producing health technology assessments, clinical guidelines, and quality standards. Comparable to HIQA's HTA/CICER and National Standards functions, though at substantially greater scale and with reimbursement mandate.
Direct peers
- Care Quality Commission (CQC): England's independent regulator of health and adult social care. Directly comparable to HIQA: registers, inspects, and rates providers (hospitals, care homes, GPs) under statutory powers, with public-facing inspection reports.
- The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA): Northern Ireland's independent health and social care regulatory body. Closest UK-jurisdiction peer to HIQA, performing registration, inspection, and review across hospitals, care homes, and domiciliary care.
- Health Quality & Safety Commission New Zealand: New Zealand's statutory body for health quality and safety improvement. Direct peer in mandate — quality improvement, adverse-event reporting, and standards for health and disability services.
- Care Inspectorate Wales: Wales's regulator of social care and early-years services. Directly comparable to HIQA's designated-centres oversight model for older people, disability, and children's residential services.
- Healthcare Improvement Scotland: Scottish body that scrutinizes healthcare providers and produces clinical standards/guidance, mirroring HIQA's HTA, standards-setting, and healthcare inspection functions across Scotland.
- Care Inspectorate (Scotland): Scotland's independent scrutiny and improvement body for care services. Closest jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction peer to HIQA — registers and inspects care homes, children's services, and other regulated services in Scotland.
Emerging players
- Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI): Canadian independent not-for-profit providing health data, standards, and comparative reporting. Partial overlap with HIQA's health information, statistics, and database of statutory notifications functions.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Health Information and Quality Authority social profiles
Digital presenceHealth Information and Quality Authority financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Health Information and Quality Authority leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Health Information and Quality Authority funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Health Information and Quality Authority M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Health Information and Quality Authority
What does Health Information and Quality Authority do?
HIQA is Ireland's independent statutory authority that regulates, inspects, and registers designated health and social care centres (nursing homes, disability services, children's residential centres, hospitals, and international protection accommodation services). It also develops national standards, conducts health technology assessments, and regulates medical exposure to ionising radiation across Ireland.
Is Health Information and Quality Authority a public or private company?
Health Information and Quality Authority is a public company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Health Information and Quality Authority founded?
Health Information and Quality Authority was founded in 2007. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Health Information and Quality Authority based?
Health Information and Quality Authority is headquartered in Cork, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does Health Information and Quality Authority make money?
One revenue line is on record: government Funding.
Who are Health Information and Quality Authority's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are The Joint Commission, Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Direct peers are Care Quality Commission (CQC), The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA), Health Quality & Safety Commission New Zealand, Care Inspectorate Wales, Healthcare Improvement Scotland and Care Inspectorate (Scotland). Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Health Information and Quality Authority have an API?
No public API is recorded for Health Information and Quality Authority.
What industry is Health Information and Quality Authority in?
Health Information and Quality Authority's product category is Healthcare Regulatory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAJACAF, Health Technology Assessment (HTA) & Reimbursement Policy Bodies, with a secondary code of HLAJAJAD, Health Information Exchange & Public Health Data Integration. Its NAICS code is 92 and its SIC code is 6324.