Staffing and Training in Irish Designated Centres: HIQA Regulations Guide

This guide covers Ireland. For the UK equivalent, see our guide: CQC Regulation 18: Staffing Requirements for Care Homes Explained.

Irish nursing homes and other designated centres for older people have two main sets of staffing and training rules to meet: the Regulations made under the Health Act 2007, and HIQA's National Standards. Neither sets a fixed number of staff per resident. What they do set is a duty to match staffing to residents' assessed needs, to keep a registered nurse on duty, and to make sure staff are trained and supervised. This guide takes those duties in turn, for providers, persons in charge and the HR managers who sign off rosters and training, in Dublin or elsewhere. Workplace health and safety training duties on employers are a separate regime, covered in our guide to HSA mandatory training requirements.

Which rules apply

The core instrument is the Health Act 2007 (Care and Welfare of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People) Regulations 2013, S.I. No. 415 of 2013. The Irish Statute Book shows it was made on 29 October 2013 and commenced on 1 July 2014. It has since been amended, including by S.I. No. 98 of 2025, which the Irish Statute Book shows was made on 27 March 2025 and applies from 31 March 2025. It revokes the earlier S.I. No. 1 of 2025, so work from the 2013 Regulations as amended, not the original text alone.

For staffing and training, what S.I. No. 98 of 2025 does not change matters. It substitutes Regulation 14 (person in charge and deputy), Regulation 23 (governance and management) and Regulation 27 (infection prevention and control), and it amends several other provisions. It does not amend Regulation 15 (staffing), Regulation 16 (training and staff development), Regulation 21 (records) or Schedule 2 (staff documents). Check the current text of these provisions before relying on this summary.

The second source is HIQA's National Standards for Residential Care Settings for Older People in Ireland, which came into effect on 1 July 2016. The staffing and training content sits in Theme 7, Responsive Workforce.

Regulation 15: staffing

• Numbers and skill mix (15(1)). The registered provider must ensure that the number and skill mix of staff is appropriate to the needs of the residents, as assessed under Regulation 5, and to the size and layout of the centre.
• A registered nurse at all times (15(2)). The person in charge must ensure that the staff of the centre includes, at all times, at least one registered nurse.
• Exception (15(3)). Where the Chief Inspector is satisfied that no resident has been assessed as needing full-time nursing care, the registered nurse requirement in 15(2) does not apply.

Note who carries each duty. The provider is responsible for the overall numbers and skill mix. The person in charge is responsible for making sure the nurse is actually on duty in the centre.

The Regulation gives no staff-to-resident ratio, minimum care hours or calculation method. HIQA's Assessment-judgment framework for designated centres for older people (Version 4.1, May 2025) frames Regulation 15 as two questions inspectors ask: whether numbers and skill mix suit residents' assessed needs and the centre's size and layout, and whether a registered nurse is present at all times. The framework does not link Regulation 15 to a specific national standard, although feature 7.2.1 of the Standards deals with sufficient numbers of staff with the necessary experience and competencies.

What the Standards add on numbers, skill mix and agency use

Standard 7.2 states that staff have the required competencies to manage and deliver person-centred, effective and safe services to all residents. Its features go further than the Regulation in useful ways:

• There should be sufficient numbers of staff with the necessary experience and competencies at all times, with contingency plans for staffing shortfalls or changes in residents' acuity (feature 7.2.1).
• Retention strategies and adequate staffing should reduce reliance on temporary and agency staff (7.2.2).
• Staff should have role-appropriate skills, maintain professional registration where required, and keep their competence current (7.2.3).
• Managers should hold appropriate qualifications and sufficient practice and management experience (7.2.4).

The Standards document explains that where a feature is also covered by the regulations, that feature is a mandatory requirement. The Standards also say that the features are examples and not an exhaustive list.

A practical approach (our suggestion, not a legal requirement): because the Regulations tie staffing to residents' assessed needs, keep a short written record showing how each roster period was built from the current dependency picture, who covers the registered nurse role on each shift, and what the contingency plan is for sick leave. Decide the roster format and how long to keep rosters locally, and document it.

Regulation 16: training and staff development

Regulation 16(1) puts three duties on the person in charge. Staff must have access to appropriate training, staff must be appropriately supervised, and staff must be informed of the Health Act 2007 and the Regulations made under it. Regulation 16(2) adds that staff must be able to access copies of the Act, the Regulations, the relevant standards published by HIQA and approved by the Minister, and relevant government or statutory guidance on designated centres for older people.

Two features of the wording matter for planning:

• The Regulation says "appropriate" training. It does not list courses, hours or refresher intervals.
• Supervision is a stated duty in its own right, so supervision arrangements for new starters, agency staff and healthcare assistants deserve as much attention as the training matrix.

HIQA's framework describes the Regulation 16 lines of enquiry as training access, supervision, staff being informed of the Act and Regulations, and availability of the Act, Regulations, standards and guidance. It links them to Standards 7.2, 7.3 and 7.4. The framework does not itself name rosters, training matrices, induction records or supervision logs, so our suggestion is to treat those as sensible evidence to hold, not as listed requirements.

Theme 7 of the Standards: the four standards

• Standard 7.1: safe and effective recruitment practices are in place. Features cover reference checks, vetting disclosure, written job descriptions, secure personnel files, induction, and review of skills in probation and ongoing appraisal.
• Standard 7.2: staff have the required competencies (see above).
• Standard 7.3: staff are supported and supervised to protect and promote the care and welfare of all residents. Feature 7.3.1 says staff understand their roles, have clear accountability and reporting lines, and follow policies and procedures.
• Standard 7.4: training is provided to staff to improve outcomes for all residents.

The Theme 7 introduction adds that all staff receive specific training in the protection of vulnerable people, including recognising signs of abuse or neglect, that training needs of the workforce are monitored on an ongoing basis, and that staff performance is appraised at regular specified intervals. For the safeguarding side, see our guide to safeguarding vulnerable adults training in Ireland. For the full features under Standards 7.3 and 7.4, read the Standards themselves.

The Regulations do not give a mandatory training list in the form of named courses and renewal periods, and the parts of the Standards cited here do not either. If you want to see how HIQA inspectors treat staff training during visits, our article on HIQA inspections and staff training covers that angle.

Infection prevention and control training

One training duty is spelled out directly. Regulation 27, as substituted by S.I. No. 98 of 2025, requires the registered provider to ensure that infection prevention and control procedures consistent with HIQA's published standards are in place and implemented by staff, that guidance from appropriate national authorities on infection prevention, control and outbreak management is implemented, and that staff receive suitable training on infection prevention and control. The Regulation does not set the length or frequency of that training.

Recruitment, vetting and staff records (light touch)

• Schedule 2. The Regulations list eight items of information to hold for the person in charge and each staff member: proof of identity, a vetting disclosure under the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012, relevant qualifications or accredited training with evidence, current professional registration where applicable, full employment history with gaps explained, correspondence and employment records, any previous experience of running a designated centre, and two written references including one from the most recent employer.
• Regulation 21 (records). Schedule 2 records must be kept in the centre, available for inspection by the Chief Inspector, kept in a safe and accessible manner, and retained for at least 7 years after the staff member stops working in the centre.
• Policies (Regulation 4 and Schedule 5). Providers must have written policies including staff training and development, and recruitment, selection and vetting of staff. Policies must be available to staff and reviewed at intervals not exceeding 3 years.
• Volunteers (Regulation 30). The person in charge must ensure volunteers have their roles and responsibilities set out in writing, receive supervision and support, and provide a vetting disclosure.

Management cover and speaking up

Two further provisions affect staffing resilience. Under Regulation 14(9), as substituted in 2025, a deputy covering an absent person in charge must be a registered nurse working in the centre, with at least 3 years' experience nursing older people within the previous 6 years. Regulation 23, as substituted, requires sufficient resources to deliver care in line with the statement of purpose, deputising arrangements for key management roles, and effective arrangements for staff to raise concerns about the quality and safety of care and support. Our suggestion (not a legal requirement): your rota could also show who the deputy is.

A practical checklist for providers and HR

These are our suggestions, drawn from the duties above and not themselves legal requirements.

• Link each rota to the latest resident needs assessments and note the date.
• Show the registered nurse on duty for every shift, including nights and weekends, and your plan if that nurse is absent at short notice.
• Keep a training matrix covering infection prevention and control and safeguarding, with dates, and a plan for gaps.
• Record induction, probation reviews, supervision sessions and appraisals for each staff member, including agency and volunteer staff.
• Make the Act, Regulations, Standards and guidance easy for staff to find.

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

Is there a minimum staff-to-resident ratio for nursing homes in Ireland?

Regulation 15 does not set one. Regulation 15(1) requires numbers and skill mix to be appropriate to residents' assessed needs and to the size and layout of the centre. It leaves the calculation to the provider, who should be able to show how they reached it.

Must a registered nurse be on duty at all times?

Regulation 15(2) says the person in charge must ensure that the staff of the centre includes at least one registered nurse at all times. Under 15(3), this does not apply where the Chief Inspector is satisfied that no resident has been assessed as needing full-time nursing care.

Who is responsible for staff training: the provider or the person in charge?

Regulation 16 places the duty on the person in charge to ensure staff have access to appropriate training and are appropriately supervised. The provider is responsible under Regulation 23 for ensuring sufficient resources for the effective delivery of care in accordance with the statement of purpose, and under Regulation 27 for ensuring staff receive suitable infection prevention and control training.

How long must staff records be kept?

Regulation 21 requires Schedule 2 staff records to be kept for at least 7 years after the staff member stops working in the centre.

Staffing and training duties are shared between provider and person in charge. Our suggestion, rather than a legal requirement: agree in writing who owns which task.