New HIQA Standards for Homecare - Impact of the 2025 Health Bill for Families
On 9 December 2025, Ireland’s Department of Health confirmed Cabinet approval to publish the Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Bill 2025.
The announcement sets out a first statutory registration framework for professional home support providers in Ireland. The Department’s release is available on the Department of Health press release page.
The stated purpose of this Bill is to create national, enforceable requirements for providers, backed by HIQA standards, Ministerial regulations, and inspection.
What the announcement says the Bill will introduce
The Department describes four headline measures:
Mandatory registration - Providing a professional home support service without being registered will become an offence.
Minimum requirements - Registered providers cannot operate below the baseline set through Ministerial regulations.
National standards - HIQA national standards will support the registration framework.
Monitoring and assessment - Compliance will be checked through inspection and assessment, led by the Chief Inspector of Social Services.
The announcement also links this step to the Programme for Government commitment to a statutory homecare scheme.
Health Act 2007 amendment - What changes in the legal basis
This Bill amends the Health Act 2007 (referred to in the Bill as the “Principal Act”). The Bill explanatory memorandum summarises the main legal updates in Part 2.
Section 2 - Adds definitions linked to the regulation of home support providers.
Section 8 - Adds functions for HIQA to set standards on safety and quality for home support services.
Section 9 - Provides for HIQA investigations of registered home support providers.
Section 41 - Expands the Chief Inspector’s functions, including establishing and maintaining a register, plus registering and inspecting providers against Ministerial regulations and HIQA standards.
The memorandum also notes that the Bill inserts a new Part 8A into the Health Act 2007 to provide for the registration of home support providers.
Anyone who wants the full legal text should follow the Bill through the Oireachtas process. This article stays within what is published in the 9 December 2025 Department of Health announcement and the explanatory memorandum.
HIQA registration - What “mandatory” means in practice
The policy direction is clear: once the law commences, professional home support providers covered by the framework will need to register. Operating a home support service without registration will be an offence.
The explanatory memorandum also notes that the registration system applies to providers not already regulated or registered under other legislation, with transitional arrangements for existing providers.
It helps to separate two topics people often mix up:
Provider regulation (this Bill) - Who can legally deliver professional home support services, and what standards they must meet.
Access to support - How someone applies for public services, what eligibility looks like, and how decisions are made.
National quality standards and Ministerial regulations - Two levers, one baseline
The Department’s announcement points to a two-part structure.
HIQA’s national standards are intended to set expectations for quality and safety in home support services. HIQA has also published draft National Standards for Home Support Services for public consultation, ahead of final standards.
Ministerial regulations will set minimum requirements, with a clear statement that registered providers cannot operate below the baseline set in those regulations. You can read the background on the HIQA consultation page and review the draft on the draft National Standards for Home Support Services PDF.
Oversight and monitoring - Who checks compliance
The Department’s release states that the Chief Inspector of Social Services will monitor and assess compliance of registered providers against regulations and HIQA standards.
The Minister for Health also notes that the Bill gives the Chief Inspector a range of powers. The announcement does not list those powers in detail.
What happens next - Oireachtas process and commencement
The Department states that the Ministers will bring the Bill to the Oireachtas for consideration. The route to becoming law follows the usual steps:
The Bill must pass the Dáil and Seanad.
The President must sign it into law.
The Minister for Health will then set a commencement date for all or part of the Act.
No start date is confirmed in the announcement.
What the Department says this Bill is intended to achieve
The stated aim is to keep service users safe and raise the quality and consistency of home support nationally.
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill links regulation with consistent minimum standards across settings. Minister of State Kieran O’Donnell notes that home support is delivered by public, private, and voluntary providers, and that a registration and inspection framework can improve public confidence in service quality.
These statements describe intended outcomes. They do not confirm results in advance.
What this means for families choosing home support
This Bill marks a move toward clearer expectations for homecare providers. People arranging help often want a practical takeaway. You might ask how to identify if a provider is well-run and accountable.
A statutory register should make that check easier once it is in place. Until then, you can still ask for evidence of quality and governance.
Questions worth asking any provider include:
Are you an approved HSE homecare provider?
Which steps guide your care planning and incident reporting?
How does the team screen new staff using Garda vetting and references?
What training do your Healthcare Assistants and Carers receive?
How is continuity protected if a regular staff member is unavailable?
Which independent audits or accreditations can you share?
Looking for HSE Home Support Services? Here are the official application pages
People often search for the home support application form, HSE home support services, and home help in Ireland.
The HSE explains how to apply on its Apply for Home Support Services page. That page also links to the Home Support Service Application Form.
For local contact details, use the local HSE office contact page.
Home support regulation in Ireland - FAQ
Is the Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Bill 2025 law today?
No. The 9 December 2025 announcement confirms Cabinet approval for publication. It becomes law only after it passes the Dáil and Seanad and is signed by the President.
When will HIQA registration start for home support providers?
A start date is not confirmed in the announcement. The Minister for Health will set a commencement date for all or part of the Act.
Who checks whether registered providers meet standards?
The announcement states that the Chief Inspector of Social Services will monitor and assess compliance against Ministerial regulations and HIQA standards.
Where can I apply for HSE Home Support Services?
Start with the HSE’s Apply for Home Support Services page. It explains the process and links to the application form. The HSE also lists local contact details through its Home Support Office contact page.
Comfort Keepers Ireland - Quality information you can check
Families and referrers should be able to verify what a provider says before care starts. We share clear information about our organisation, how our service works, and the standards we work to.
If you are comparing providers, you can ask us the same practical questions listed above. We will explain our approach in plain language and point you to the information we publish.
Comfort Keepers Ireland operates nationwide and is an approved provider of home support services for the HSE.
We proudly uphold our ISO accreditation annually and are thrilled to have been named Homecare Provider of the Year for both 2025 and 2026, celebrating our commitment to excellence for two consecutive years.
If you want to talk through homecare options for an older person, a person with disabilities, or a family member who needs support at home, contact our team.
