Safety and quality

Responsibility for dealing with complaints about health and social care services in Northern Ireland is placed with the provider of the service.  The following section provides information for health and social care professionals and the general public on matters relating to health and social care complaints.

Health and Social Care organisations have a statutory duty to involve the public and consult them in relation to their health and social care. Personal and Public Involvement (PPI) is the term used to describe the concept of involving ordinary people and local communities in the planning, commissioning, delivery and evaluation of the health and social care services they receive.

The Quality Strategy 2020 is a 10 Year strategy designed to protect and improve quality in health and social care in Northern Ireland.  

The Department of Health (DoH) is the sponsor department for the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA). The RQIA is an independent body responsible for monitoring and inspecting the availability and quality of health and social care services in Northern Ireland, and encouraging improvements in the quality of those services.  

Service Frameworks are an important element in a standards driven system for improving health and social care planning, commissioning and delivery - they are being developed for key areas of health and social care.

A Serious Adverse Incident (SAI) is defined as any event or circumstance that led or could have led to unintended or unexpected harm, loss or damage.