Update 10 August 2021: State regulator finds Ireland’s hospitals adapted swiftly to cope with COVID-19 during 2020, but these efforts were hindered by longstanding problems
According to the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), Ireland’s health regulator, while the Irish hospital system adapted swiftly to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, reoccurring underlying issues of concern relating to non-compliance with national standards were evident. These issues included poor physical infrastructure, capacity issues and workforce challenges, which often hindered these very significant efforts.
HIQA’s monitoring and regulatory activity in 2020 continued to identify that good governance and leadership is the first line of defence when providing safe, high-quality and reliable healthcare, particularly in response to the crisis situation posed by the global pandemic. HIQA has noticed that despite an increase in both temporary and longer term investment in services in response to the pandemic, some healthcare services continue to be proportionately less resourced than others.