Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 4 October 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health

HIQA Report 2022: Discussion

Ms Angela Fitzgerald:

Absolutely. We have had a lot of discussion about the power of regulation. As we said earlier, the chief inspector has powers of enforcement but actually one of the strongest powers we have is the power of communication. For most providers, their reputation and brand, the quality of the service they provide and how it is perceived is really important to them. We have seen that when we publish reports, it matters. As some of the earlier Deputies and Senators have said, it matters to the local constituency but it also matters to providers. It is a very powerful instrument. It does bring with it obligations for us. We have to be fair in how we report. We have to be clear and we do have to call it out sometimes, which can be uncomfortable for us and for people around us. We have to have responsibility in terms of how we report that. I fully agree with the Senator in respect of publication.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.