National Preventive Mechanism Annual Report 2009–10 Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority Ofsted T he Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) was established by statute in 2005 to monitor the availability and accessibility of health and social care services in Northern Ireland and to promote improvement in the quality of those services.73 The RQIA’s remit is broad but a key element of its role is to inspect the provision of health and social care in places of detention. RQIA may visit prisons, children in secure accommodation or people detained on the basis of their mental health or learning disability. RQIA also inspects a range of residential accommodation where people are cared for but are not deprived of their liberty, such as hospitals, children’s homes or nursing homes. RQIA may enter and inspect the premises of any service within its remit at any time, with a view to examining the state and management of the premises and the treatment of people accommodated or cared for there. It may interview in private the manager, staff or service user and require the service provider or manager to make available any information it deems necessary. RQIA is a non-departmental public body reporting to the Department for Health, Social Services and Public Safety. It is independent and is staffed by experts from a wide range of health and social care disciplines. Methodology RQIA carries out announced and unannounced inspections of places of detention with the frequency and nature of the inspection determined by the type of detention and any intelligence received, such as complaints or evidence of serious incidents. In carrying out its work, RQIA emphasises the importance of listening to the detainee. As well as individual or group interviews with detainees during inspections themselves, RQIA engages with former detainees and detainee representatives, as well as members of civil society, including non-governmental organisations and academics. Except for inspections carried out jointly with CJINI or HMIP, RQIA does not produce reports of individual inspections. However, findings from individual inspections are shared with service providers and users, with recommendations being monitored through the ongoing inspection programme. RQIA produces an overview of all its activities on a quarterly basis, as well as an annual report. As well as carrying out inspections, RQIA seeks to improve health and social care services by influencing law and policy. It comments on draft legislation and advises on any necessary changes to current law. RQIA’s recent efforts in this area have mainly focused on the development of new mental health legislation in Northern Ireland. 73 Health and Personal Social Services (Quality, Improvement and Regulation) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003. RQIA’s role was extended as a result of the Health and Social Care (Reform) Act (Northern Ireland) 2009 when it assumed the functions previously carried out by the Mental Health Commission. 58