Ireland Healthcare & Home Support Glossary — 25 Key HIQA, HSE & OWTA Terms
Authoritative terminology guide for Irish home support and nursing agencies: HIQA National Standards, Garda Vetting, OWTA 1997, and Fair Deal.
CORU (Regulating Health and Social Care Professionals)
CORU is Ireland's multi-profession health regulator responsible for protecting the public by regulating health and social care professionals.
Children First Act 2015
Irish legislation providing statutory obligations to report child protection concerns and implement Child Safeguarding Statements.
Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO)
CHOs are operational administrative divisions of the HSE delivering community-based primary care, social care, and mental health services across Ireland.
HIQA Single Assessment Framework (Thematic Inspections)
Targeted inspection programmes conducted by HIQA focusing on specific regulatory areas such as medication safety, infection prevention, or staffing governance.
HSE Home Support Scheme
The HSE Home Support Scheme provides publicly funded care hours to individuals living at home who require assistance with everyday living activities.
HSE Procurement Framework (Home Support Services)
The national tender mechanism through which the HSE contracts private and voluntary providers to deliver home support packages.
Health Act 2007 (Regulated Activities)
The primary Irish legislation establishing the regulatory framework for designated residential and health service centres.
Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA)
HIQA is the independent statutory authority established to promote safety and quality in the provision of health and social care services in Ireland.
Health Service Executive (HSE)
The HSE is the national public body responsible for the provision of health and personal social services for everyone living in Ireland.
Healthcare Assistant (HCA)
A frontline care professional providing personal care and day-to-day support to clients in home care, hospitals, and residential centres.
Irish Work Permit & Stamp 1 / Stamp 4 Visas
Immigration permissions authorizing non-EEA nationals to live and work in the healthcare sector in Ireland.
National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF)
The statutory agency responsible for negotiating maximum agreed prices with private and voluntary nursing homes under the Fair Deal scheme.
National Vetting Bureau (Garda Vetting)
Garda Vetting is the statutory background check process conducted by An Garda Síochána for individuals undertaking relevant work with children or vulnerable persons.
Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI)
The representative organisation for private and voluntary nursing homes in Ireland.
Nursing Homes Support Scheme (Fair Deal)
The Fair Deal scheme is an Irish government statutory scheme providing financial support toward the cost of long-term nursing home care.
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI)
NMBI is the statutory regulatory body for the nursing and midwifery professions in the Republic of Ireland.
Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 (OWTA)
The OWTA 1997 is Ireland's principal statute governing maximum weekly working hours, daily and weekly rest periods, and annual leave entitlements.
Patient Moving and Handling Certification
Statutory manual handling and ergonomic training required for all healthcare staff engaged in client repositioning and transfer.
Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI)
PRSI is the primary social insurance contribution deducted from employees' earnings and matched by employer contributions in Ireland.
Public Holiday Entitlement (Ireland)
Statutory employee rights regarding Ireland's 10 official public holidays under the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997.
SIPTU & INMO Healthcare Sector Agreements
Collective bargaining agreements establishing pay scales, allowances, and working condition benchmarks for healthcare workers in Ireland.
Single Assessment Tool (SAT)
The standardized electronic assessment used by the HSE to evaluate older persons' health and social care needs.
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP Ireland)
The legal entitlement of Irish employees to paid sick leave funded by their employer under the Sick Leave Act 2022.
Sunday Premium (Ireland)
Under Section 14 of the OWTA 1997, employees who work on Sundays are legally entitled to a premium payment or paid time off in lieu.
Workplace Relations Commission (WRC)
The statutory body providing conciliation, advisory, inspection, and adjudication services for employment law in Ireland.