Find answers to common questions about Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW), including what we do, how we inspect and regulate healthcare services, and how we respond to concerns. You can also find out how to share feedback and access our inspection reports.
What does HIW do?
Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) is the independent regulator of healthcare and the inspectorate for NHS services in Wales. Our role is to check that healthcare is safe, effective, and meets the needs of people and communities.
Does HIW regulate NHS services?
No.
HIW inspects NHS healthcare services in Wales but regulates independent healthcare providers. Through inspections, reviews and other assurance work, we assess the quality and safety of NHS services and report on our findings.
Can HIW inspect healthcare services without warning?
Yes.
HIW carries out both announced and unannounced inspections. Unannounced inspections allow us to see services operating as they normally would and help us assess the quality and safety of care being provided.
Does HIW only inspect hospitals?
No.
HIW's work covers a range of healthcare services in Wales. This includes NHS services and GPs as well as independent healthcare providers such as private dental practices, independent hospitals, clinics and medical agencies.
Find out more about the healthcare services we inspect and regulate
Do all healthcare services in Wales need to register with HIW?
No.
HIW regulates independent healthcare services in Wales, including private dental practices, independent hospitals, independent clinics and independent medical agencies. These services must register with HIW before they can operate.
How does HIW decide where and when to inspect?
HIW uses intelligence to inform a risk‑based approach to regulating and inspecting healthcare in Wales.
This approach ensures that our work is targeted where it will have the greatest impact on the safety, quality and experience of care, and that we are responsive to emerging risks across the healthcare system.
Find out more about how we use intelligence to support risk-based activity
Can anyone tell HIW about concerns regarding healthcare services?
Yes.
We welcome feedback from patients, relatives, carers and healthcare staff. This information helps us build a picture of healthcare quality and safety across Wales and can inform our inspection and assurance work.
Find out more about providing feedback about a healthcare service
Does HIW investigate individual complaints about healthcare services?
HIW's role is to check that healthcare services in Wales meet required standards of quality and safety. We do not normally investigate individual complaints about a patient's care or treatment, professional conduct, service changes or matters subject to legal proceedings.
However, the information people share with us is important. We use feedback from patients, relatives, carers and staff, alongside other intelligence, to help identify risks and inform our inspection and assurance work.
Find out more about providing feedback about a healthcare service
Does my feedback make a difference?
Yes.
Every concern shared with HIW helps build a picture of healthcare quality and safety across Wales. We use feedback from patients, relatives, carers and staff to inform our risk-based assurance work. Where patterns of concern emerge, this may lead to inspections, reviews or other action.
Why does HIW publish inspection reports?
HIW publishes reports to share its findings, highlight good practice and identify areas where healthcare services need to improve.
Does HIW only report when something goes wrong?
No.
HIW highlights areas where improvement is needed but also recognises and shares examples of good practice found during inspections and reviews.
How can I find out about healthcare services that HIW has inspected?
HIW publishes inspection reports online so members of the public, healthcare providers and others can view our findings.
Can HIW take enforcement action against independent healthcare providers?
Yes.
HIW is the regulator of independent healthcare services in Wales. Where serious concerns are identified, we can take regulatory action using our legal powers. This may include imposing conditions on a registration, cancelling a registration, or taking other enforcement action to protect people receiving care.
Find out more about how we regulate independent healthcare services
Does HIW take action when it finds serious concerns in NHS services?
Yes.
Where HIW identifies serious concerns about the quality or safety of NHS services, we can increase our level of scrutiny through our Service of Concern process.
We may also identify a service as Requiring Significant Improvement, helping to ensure that issues are addressed quickly and that progress is closely monitored.
Find out more about Services Requiring Significant Improvement
Is HIW independent?
Yes.
Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) is the independent regulator of healthcare and the inspectorate for NHS services in Wales.
We are an operationally independent inspectorate within the Welsh Government. This means that whilst our staff are civil servants employed by government, we decide on our programme of work and where, when and how we carry it out.
We are also independent from the healthcare services we inspect, review and regulate. This means we make objective, evidence-based judgements about the quality and safety of healthcare services and publish our findings openly.
Does HIW work with other organisations?
Yes.
HIW works with a range of organisations and partners across Wales, including healthcare providers, regulators, inspectorates and other public bodies, to share information, identify risks and support improvements in healthcare services.