Premises and equipment in Irish designated centres: HIQA regulations guide

This guide covers Ireland. For the UK equivalent, see our guide: CQC Regulation 15: Premises and Equipment Explained.

If you run a registered nursing home or other designated centre for older people in Ireland, the rules on your building sit mainly in Regulation 17 (Premises) and Schedule 6 of the 2013 Regulations, read alongside HIQA's National Standards. This guide sets out what those texts say and how to prepare. For a wider walk-through of an inspection, see our HIQA inspection readiness checklist for Irish care homes.

Where the premises rules sit

The rules for designated centres for older people are in the Health Act 2007 (Care and Welfare of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People) Regulations 2013 (S.I. No. 415 of 2013). On the Irish Statute Book text as made, Regulation 17 is titled "Premises", and Schedule 6 sets out the matters the premises must provide. Related regulations in the same instrument include Regulation 22 (Insurance), Regulation 26 (Risk management), Regulation 27 (Infection control) and Regulation 28 (Fire precautions).

HIQA's National Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People in Ireland (2016 edition, effective 1 July 2016) add detail in Standards 2.6 and 2.7. A HIQA news item dated 18 August 2026 announces a review to inform whether the Standards should be updated. Check HIQA's publications page for the current status of the Standards before you rely on any figure below.

One distinction is worth keeping clear. These provisions concern the premises as a place where residents live and receive care. This guide covers the premises requirements in the 2013 Regulations and HIQA's Standards. Employer duties for staff safety are a separate subject and are not covered here.

What Regulation 17 requires

Regulation 17 has two paragraphs. Paragraph (1) requires the registered provider to ensure the premises are appropriate to the number and needs of the residents and match the centre's statement of purpose. Paragraph (2) requires premises that meet the matters in Schedule 6, having regard to residents' needs. It does not itself list room sizes, which are found in Schedule 6 and the Standards.

Schedule 6, Part 1: general requirements

Part 1 of Schedule 6 requires that the premises be designed and laid out to meet residents' needs, be soundly built and kept in good repair inside and out, and be clean and suitably decorated. It also states that equipment used by residents must be in good working order. It then lists what should be provided on the premises, including:

• emergency call facilities reachable from each resident's bed and from rooms residents use
• grab rails in bath, shower and toilet areas
• handrails on both sides of staircases, unless there is a stairlift
• a lift where residents live on two or more floors
• adequate private and communal accommodation, with rooms of a suitable size and layout
• storage for personal possessions, including lockable space and a secure facility for residents' money and valuables so far as reasonably practicable
• sitting, recreation and dining space separate from private rooms, and communal space for social, cultural and religious activities
• external grounds that are suitable, safe and properly maintained
• suitable ventilation, heating and lighting in all areas residents use

Most of these are worded as "adequate", "suitable" or "so far as reasonably practicable" rather than as numeric tests, which is why providers also look to the Standards.

Kitchen and sanitary facilities (Parts 2 and 3)

Part 2 requires a separate kitchen with suitable and sufficient cooking facilities, kitchen equipment and tableware. Part 3 requires, having regard to the number of residents, a sufficient supply of piped hot and cold water with anti-scalding protection, wash-hand basins in each bedroom, enough toilets, wash-basins, baths and showers (including assisted ones), enough toilets accessible to wheelchair users, enough commodes, appropriate sluicing facilities and adequate laundry facilities, including a wash-hand basin in each laundry room. For the practical side of the water requirement, see our guide to scalding and hot water safety in Irish care homes.

The 2016 amendment: bedroom space, dining and toilets

S.I. No. 293 of 2016, made on 7 June 2016, added new paragraphs to Schedule 6:

• Centres operating before 1 July 2009: the floor space per resident and the number of residents in each bedroom on the day the 2016 Regulations came into operation were treated as acceptable (paragraph 1A), but floor space must not be reduced and resident numbers in a bedroom must not be increased from that day (paragraphs 1C and 1D).
• From 1 January 2022: a bedroom in a centre that was carrying on business on or before 1 July 2009 must have not less than 7.4 m2 of floor space per resident, including the space occupied by a bed, a chair and personal storage space, and no bedroom may have more than 4 residents, except a high-dependency room, which may not have more than 6 (paragraph 1B).
• From 1 January 2022: dining facilities for all residents that can cater for the number of residents, though not necessarily all at the same sitting, and toilets easily accessible by and close to the bedrooms of every 8 residents, though not necessarily en suite (amended paragraph 3(i) and new clause (cc) of Part 3).

The amendment also changed Regulation 24 so that the contract for services records the bedroom to be provided and the number of other occupants. S.I. No. 628 of 2022, S.I. No. 1 of 2025 and S.I. No. 98 of 2025 do not amend Regulation 17 or Schedule 6, but check the current consolidated text before relying on this for a specific decision.

What the National Standards add

Standard 2.6 says the residential service is "homely and accessible" and provides adequate physical space to meet each resident's assessed needs. Its features include that the physical environment is kept in good structural and decorative repair, internally and externally, and that "clear records of major repairs, capital works and maintenance works are kept". Another feature says all equipment is purchased to appropriate and accessible standards and is maintained and operated in line with the manufacturer's instructions and good practice.

Standard 2.7 says the design and layout of the residential service is suitable for its stated purpose, and that all areas in the premises meet the privacy, dignity and wellbeing of each resident. Its features include:

• recreational and dining space providing a minimum of 4 square metres for each resident (2.7.4)
• suitable heating, with a minimum temperature of 18 degrees Celsius in bedroom areas (2.7.19)
• specialist medical devices and equipment made available to meet the resident's needs in accordance with their care plan (2.7.24)
• wide enough doorways and access aids such as ramps, lifts and hoists where required (2.7.25 and 2.7.26)
• call systems with an accessible alarm in every room normally used by residents (2.7.27)
• for new builds and extensions only: en-suite facilities and single bedrooms of at least 12.5 square metres of usable floor space (2.7.7 and 2.7.11)

Standard 3.3 includes a feature requiring a policy on the maintenance, cleaning and repair of medical devices and equipment, with a named person responsible.

Equipment, maintenance and fire

Schedule 6 requires premises to be kept in good repair and equipment to be in good working order. In our view, a maintenance system is a practical way to show this, but that is our suggestion, not a legal requirement. The Regulations as made do not prescribe inspection intervals for general maintenance. Fire is different: Regulation 28 requires adequate precautions against fire, adequate means of escape including emergency lighting, arrangements for maintaining and testing fire equipment, staff training and fire drills, and fire procedures displayed in a prominent place. Schedule 4 requires records of fire practices, drills and tests and of firefighting equipment maintenance.

HIQA's Fire Safety Handbook (version 1.2, March 2025) covers older people's centres and discusses fire safety risk assessment, a fire safety register of servicing and testing, annual review of fire precautions, funding for servicing and maintenance, and personal emergency evacuation plans for each resident.

For one example of an environmental hazard, see our guide to window restrictors and falls from height in care homes.

Notifications linked to the building

Under Schedule 4, item 7, as substituted by S.I. No. 98 of 2025 (signed 27 March 2025, effective 31 March 2025), the Chief Inspector must be notified within 2 days of any fire, and of a loss of power, heating or water, or an unplanned evacuation, where residents could not return immediately (check the instrument for the exact wording of this condition). Occasions when the fire alarm is operated other than for a practice, drill or test are notified at quarterly intervals. S.I. No. 98 of 2025 revokes S.I. No. 1 of 2025, which had been due to take effect on the same date. Check HIQA's notifications guidance for how to submit.

What inspectors look at, and what the sources do not say

HIQA's inspection framework page says the inspector "will make observations about the premises and the care and support provided in the centre". HIQA's assessment-judgment framework (version 4.1, May 2025) rates each regulation as compliant, substantially compliant or not compliant. For Regulation 17 it ties the regulation to Schedule 6 and Standards 2.6 and 2.7 but gives no worked examples. Registration also depends on floor plans: HIQA's Regulation Handbook (version 4.1, May 2025) says a centre is registered in line with the footprint of the building outlined in the floor plans submitted, and says to apply to vary a condition of registration (under section 52) when structural work changes the size or footprint of a registered centre. For a specific layout change, contact HIQA's registration team.

HIQA's overview report on older persons services in 2022 said significant issues persisted in relation to premises, fire safety, and infection prevention and control in a number of services. Regulation 17 and Schedule 6 do not set a maintenance schedule, refurbishment cycle or cost threshold.

A practical approach

These are our suggestions, not legal requirements:

• Walk each floor with Schedule 6 Part 1 in hand and record what you find against each item, including call bells reachable from the bed.
• Keep a dated repair and maintenance log, since Standard 2.6 expects clear records of repairs and works.
• Check bedroom sizes and occupancy against paragraphs 1A to 1D and the contract for services.
• If you are planning building works, speak to HIQA early about registration and floor plans.

Learnsignal's offices are off Baggot Street in Dublin, and we offer in-person training from there. For current details, see our CPD pages.

Frequently asked questions

Which regulation covers the premises of a nursing home in Ireland?

Regulation 17 (Premises) of S.I. No. 415 of 2013. Fire precautions are in Regulation 28.

What is the minimum bedroom floor space?

For centres that were operating on or before 1 July 2009, Schedule 6 paragraph 1B (inserted by S.I. No. 293 of 2016) requires not less than 7.4 m2 per resident from 1 January 2022, including the bed, a chair and personal storage space. The Standards set a separate figure for new builds and extensions (2.7.7 and 2.7.11).

Does Schedule 6 say how often equipment must be serviced?

No. It says equipment must be in good working order. The Standards refer to the manufacturer's instructions and good practice, and Regulation 28 covers fire equipment.

Which fire events must be reported to HIQA?

Under Schedule 4, item 7, as substituted by S.I. No. 98 of 2025, any fire must be notified to the Chief Inspector within 2 days, as must a loss of power, heating or water, or an unplanned evacuation, where residents could not return immediately. Fire alarm operations outside practices, drills and tests are notified quarterly.

Do these rules apply to disability centres?

This guide covers the older people Regulations only, so we do not say other types of centre are the same.