The Chief Executive of the Health Information & Quality Authority, Phelim Quinn has said the watchdog hopes to publish its report into the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise shortly.
The report was ordered by the then Health Minister, Dr James Reilly after an RTÉ Investigations Unit report in 2014 into the deaths of five babies in the hospital maternity unit.
Speaking this evening, at the annual conference of the Irish Nurses and Midwives' Organisation in Trim, Mr Quinn said that identified risks, or patient safety issues in all hospitals, are the explicit responsibility of the HSE.
He said that if recommendations previously made by HIQA were to be implemented, risks within the country's emergency departments would be significantly reduced.
Mr Quinn said that recent HIQA inspection findings across differing provider organisations have highlighted a number of fundamental breaches of regulations and standards and in some instances, in the human rights of individuals.
He said that additional functions will be assigned to HIQA in the years ahead.
These will include monitoring powers for the acute private hospital sector and home care services.
