Last year, the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, announced a major package of patient safety reforms, including plans to simplify the complaints procedure, enhance the powers of the Ombudsman and the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, and introduce a tranche of patient safety legislation. A part of that package was the patient safety (licensing of healthcare facilities) Bill, which is to provide for a mandatory system of licensing for public and private health care facilities. The legislative programme states that the heads of the Bill are expected at the end of the year.

Patient and resident safety should be at the heart of the health service. While progress is being made in some respects, there have been high-profile closures and incidents recently. This week and next, the Health (Amendment) Bill will be before the Houses to deal with the extension of the timeframe for HIQA inspections, but when will we see more action on patient safety, particularly in light of what happened at autism centres recently?

The last heads on that legislation were agreed in November. Pre-legislative scrutiny will take place in the autumn.