This document outlines the strategic direction for the health and social care standards setting function of HIQA for 2022-2024. It outlines our vision, along with the strategic objectives we aim to achieve in the coming years. We developed this strategic direction to guide us in the development of national standards and implementation support tools, ensuring that we are prioritising areas of need, reaching our target audiences and having impact on the quality and safety of health and social care services in Ireland. The ultimate aim is improving the experience of people using health and social care services.

The Leadership Standard helps those in positions of responsibility to achieve leadership excellence in health care organisations that concretely intend to organise their services in a client- and family-centred manner. The contents of the standard are based on research and good practice and are aligned with the “Framework for the Analysis of Management in Health Care Organisations and Proposed Standards for Practice” topic analysed and developed by J.L. Denis et al. (2006).