Domiciliary care in Ireland is about to undergo a significant change, as progress towards regulation and statutory registration of home support services begins to really ramp up.
In December 2025, the Irish Government approved the bill that will require all homecare providers in Ireland to be registered. The bill makes an amendment to the Health Act of 2007, which will mean it becomes law for home support services to be registered with HIQA (the Health Information and Quality Authority) and an offence to operate without registration.
Home support providers will also be required to follow national quality standards developed by HIQA and meet minimum requirements to be set out in new regulations. HIQA sought feedback on a draft version of the new standards in November 2024.
The aim is to safeguard service users, and raise the quality and consistency of care nationally.
Regulation has been a long time coming in Ireland. After a decade of stalled plans, HIQA laid out its proposals for regulation in December 2021, alongside a research report into regulation of homecare.
Home support has typically been provided informally in Ireland, within the community by family, friends and neighbours. The state also provides homecare free of charge, based on need, via the Health Service Executive (HSE) - either directly or by approved private suppliers. This arrangement has no legal basis though, which has meant that “the provision of homecare in Ireland has been identified as patchy and inconsistent where demand outstrips supply” (HIQA, 2021).
Growing demand for homecare in Ireland has caused a shift in perspective. According to HQIA's research report, over the last 20 years, Ireland has seen a significant growth in population - increasing from 1.3 million to 4.9 million inhabitants since 2000. Within that, the proportion of older people is bigger than it has ever been before; by 2050, it’s predicted that the number of people in Ireland aged over 65 will increase by 82% from 14,600 to 26,600. More people are also living longer with chronic illness and disabilities, and are typically underserved by current arrangements.
So with a huge boom in demand anticipated to add to the already inconsistent availability of homecare, HIQA set out its position for developing a homecare framework which makes support available at home to everyone in need, with regulation introduced to drive quality.
With the Health (Amendment) ( Home Support Providers) Bill 2025 approved by cabinet in December 2025, it will pass to the Oireachtas for consideration. It will become an Act once it has been passed by the Dáil and Seanad and the President signs it into law. A date for the Act coming into force will then be set by the Minister for Health.
When this happens, it will mean that:
it will be an offence to provide a Home Support service in Ireland without being registered
registered home support providers will not be permitted to operate below the standard set by Ministerial regulations
HIQA will be able to monitor and assess compliance with regulations and HIQA national standards
There will be transitional arrangements for existing home support providers.
Although still under consultation, it is worth becoming familiar with the draft regulatory standards proposed by HIQA in November 2024. They are underpinned by four core principles, which HIQA proposes can be used by all organisations who provide home support services to achieve person-centred care and support.
The four principles are:
A Human Rights-based Approach - protect people’s human rights, involve service users in decisions that affect them, communicate effectively and welcome feedback and suggestions
Safety and Wellbeing - safeguard people, prevent harm and ensure that changing needs are identified, planned for and responded to
Responsiveness - ensure care is consistent and coordinated, delivered by staff who are appropriately recruited, trained and supervised
Accountability - have effective leadership, governance and management arrangements, with a clear vision of how people will be supported, while continuously assessing and improving the quality of the service
We’ll update this page with more information as it develops; follow HIQA directly for updates.
Find out more about how Nursebuddy supports new homecare businesses.
Regulation of Homecare: Research Report (Health Information and Quality Authority, December 2021)
Regulation of Homecare: A Position Paper (Health Information and Quality Authority, December 2021)
Press release: Government approves publication of Health (Amendment) (Home Support Providers) Bill 2025 (Government of Ireland, December 2025)
Public consultation on draft National Standards for Home Support Services in Ireland (Health Information and Quality Authority, November 2024)
Evidence Review: To inform the development of National Standards for Homecare and Support Services in Ireland (Health Information and Quality Authority, May 2022)
Choosing an Approved Home Support Provider (Health Service Executive, December 2025)