Public hospitals and other health facilities have a year to comply with a new set of mandatory hygiene standards published today.
The Health Information and Quality Authority will conduct both announced and unannounced inspections to ensure hospitals meet the 12 new standards.
Read the full report
They cover areas such as hand hygiene, medical device infections, antibiotic resistance, physical environment and disease control.
The HIQA will then publish the findings on how health facilities are complying with the new rules.
The first facilities to be targeted for inspections are expected to be Ireland's acute hospitals.
The system will also apply to GP and dental surgeries and community care facilities.
Private hospitals are expected to come under the system when planned legislation arising from the Commission on Patient Safety and Quality Assurance comes into force.
Health facilities have six months to produce an analysis of how they are currently complying or not complying with the standards.
Director of Healthcare Quality at HIQA Jon Billings said most of the standards were straightforward to implement with changes in culture, behaviour, planning, management and leadership.
