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RQIA Domiciliary Care Policies for Northern Ireland
Domiciliary care agencies in Northern Ireland are regulated by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA), not the CQC. The legislation, minimum standards, inspection methodology and regulatory expectations in Northern Ireland are different from England and Wales, and your policies must reflect this.
Care Sync Experts is one of very few providers offering domiciliary care policies written specifically for the Northern Ireland regulatory framework. Our RQIA policies cover the Health and Personal Social Services (Quality, Improvement and Regulation) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003, the Domiciliary Care Agencies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007, RQIA minimum standards, and Northern Ireland-specific safeguarding, training and staff registration requirements. Download three free sample RQIA policies to review the Northern Ireland-specific content and regulatory alignment.
Why Northern Ireland Needs Its Own Policies
The care regulatory system in Northern Ireland operates under entirely different legislation from England and Wales.
Using CQC policies and adapting them for Northern Ireland is not adequate. Here is why:
RQIA assesses services against four domains of quality: Is Care Safe? Is Care Effective? Is Care Compassionate? Is the Service Well Led? These are different from the CQC's five key questions and require differently structured policies and evidence.
Safeguarding in Northern Ireland follows the Adult Safeguarding Prevention and Protection in Partnership procedures and the Northern Ireland Adult Safeguarding Partnership arrangements. Your policies must reference these, not the English safeguarding frameworks.
Staff in Northern Ireland must register with the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) and meet NISCC standards of conduct and practice. Your recruitment and training policies must reflect NISCC requirements. Vetting in Northern Ireland is carried out through Access NI, not the DBS. Your recruitment policies must reference the correct vetting body and procedures.
Referrals and assessments come through HSC Trusts rather than local authorities, and your policies on assessment, care planning and service delivery must reflect the Northern Ireland health and social care structure. Incident reporting goes to RQIA under different notification requirements than those that apply to CQC in England.
RQIA Registration Guide
Registering a care service in Northern Ireland? Our guide covers the full RQIA process, required documents, fit person interview preparation, and minimum standards for all 12 service types
Read the RQIA registration guideWhat Our RQIA Policy Set Covers
Care Sync Experts provides RQIA domiciliary care policies covering all four RQIA quality domains (Safe, Effective, Compassionate, Well Led), incident reporting and notifications to RQIA, Adult Safeguarding Prevention and Protection in Partnership procedures, staff registration and ongoing requirements with NISCC, Access NI checks and vetting procedures, HSC Trust referral, assessment and care management processes, the Northern Ireland Adult Safeguarding Partnership arrangements, person-centred care planning under NI standards, medication management, health and safety, infection prevention, recruitment and training under NI requirements, data protection and GDPR, complaints aligned to RQIA regulations, equality and human rights under NI legislation, and business continuity.
Download Three Free RQIA Sample Policies
These three policies demonstrate the Northern Ireland-specific content and regulatory alignment you will not find from any other major policy provider.
Download your three free RQIA domiciliary care sample policies now. You will receive the Safeguarding Adults at Risk Policy (NI), the Incident Reporting and RQIA Notification Policy, and the Staff Registration with NISCC Policy.
Delivered Through Care Sync Pro
All RQIA policies are managed through Care Sync Pro, included at no additional cost. The platform provides the same version control, staff access, audit trails and update notifications available to our CQC and CIW clients, ensuring your Northern Ireland service stays compliant between RQIA inspections.
Call us on 0333 577 0877 or email hello@caresyncexperts.co.uk to discuss your RQIA policy requirements.
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