I need to give all access for staff but I want to isolate everything to do with payroll . they still need access to chart of accounts but not accounts where payroll is.

Currently, there's no option to customise access within the Chart of Accounts; it’s an all-or-nothing permission. If you give them access, they will see every account, including payroll. 

For more information, feel free to check this resource: Understanding user roles and access rights in QuickBooks.

Let us know if you have further questions or concerns.