Journalists

Babies born by C-section have higher obesity risk 

Children born by caesarean section have a higher chance of being obese by the time they are five, according to a new analysis.

Probe after man found dead in A&E waiting room 

GARDAÍ are investigating after a man was found dead in the Emergency Department (ED) waiting room at one of the country's largest hospitals.

Farmers unaware of disease risk to themselves from healthy animals 

Most farmers are unaware that healthy animals may be a source of infection for themselves or family members.

More than 70,000 left on surgery waiting list despite €50m injection 

A massive 70,000 patients in need of surgery will still languish on hospital waiting lists at the end of this year - despite an injection of €50m to tackle the crisis.

'He doesn't dwell on it' - Mum's pride at fearless James (12) who suffers from arthritis 

James Casserly (12), from Lucan in Dublin, is one of 1,200 children in the country with juvenile arthritis.

Demand for abortion pills online has soared 

An online provider of abortion pills has revealed how demand for medication from women in Ireland who want to terminate pregnancies has soared.

GP out-of-hours cuts deepen the A&E scandal 

Some GP co-ops which provide out-of-hours cover are set for an overhaul which will increase the risk of more patients having to visit A&E departments.

Allergy sufferers here reassured amid fears of global EpiPen shortage 

Irish people at risk a of a life-threatening allergic reaction have been reassured of sufficient supplies of a vital adrenalin jab, despite warnings of a potential global shortage.

More adults now getting measles as health chiefs issue warning 

Measles is now striking people in their 30s and 40s as a number of areas of the country battle outbreaks of the disease.

Obstetricians have 'full freedom' to save mother's life, says doctor 

Obstetricians have "full freedom" under existing law to intervene to save the life of a pregnant woman and the risk of death does not "need to be imminent", a leading doctor has warned.

Op delays for patients suffering from neck tumours 

Some cancer patients who have been diagnosed with a tumour in their neck are having to wait weeks for surgery because of a lack of specialists, doctors have warned.

Hard-up GPs in their 50s - struggling to keep their practices going under - flee to Qatar 

GPs, who are struggling to keep their practices from going under, should start to charge medical card holders for some services - it was claimed yesterday.

Patients need to be told of risks of seeing GP online, doctors warn 

Patients need to be made aware of the potential dangers of using online and telemedicine services for consultations with GPs they do not know, doctors have warned.

Exodus of medics leaves communities without GP service 

The exodus of Irish-educated medical graduates is draining the health service of much-needed doctors in hospitals and the community, where some GP surgeries are having to turn patients away.

'There's not enough incentive to retain our doctors' 

The grandson of the late President Dr Patrick Hillery has warned of the pressures driving so many Irish-educated doctors abroad.

Family doctor reveals emotional toll of losing six patients to suicide in the past five years 

A family doctor has revealed the personal, emotional toll of losing six patients to suicide in the past five years.

Foster children left in families with no Garda vetting 

Children were left with foster families who were not properly Garda vetted and in some cases had not had checks carried out in three years, a damning report has revealed.

'One woman travels an hour-and-a-half to attend my surgery' 

Dr Tadhg Crowley is now having to review on a monthly basis whether his busy GP practice is capable of taking on more business and whether it will have to close to new patients.

Patients turn to the emergency services as GP numbers tumble 

Patients are being forced to resort to out-of-hours GP services because they cannot get a daytime appointment.

Nurses who breached trust of the vulnerable patients they cared for 

One of the high-profile misconduct cases to come to light in recent years involved a former nursing home manager, who was sentenced to 15 months for stealing €45,000 from a patient.

Cystic fibrosis sufferers see dramatic increase in quality of life 

People born with cystic fibrosis in Ireland are living longer and are more likely to have a job.

Lung cancer diagnosis too late for one in five who die within 30 days of discovery 

One in five patients diagnosed with lung cancer over a number of years died within 30 days, according to research.

Nurses watchdog told of 'financial abuse and thefts from patients' 

Complaints alleging nurses have engaged in financial abuse of patients - including theft - have been made to their watchdog, it emerged yesterday.

Warning shots were fired a decade ago - yet patients still can't count on the system 

It is more than a decade since the HSE was told to overhaul the way it manages the private accounts of patients in its long-term care.

HSE lapses leave residents in care homes vulnerable to fraud 

Funds held for vulnerable elderly people have been left open to fraud after staff in some HSE-run care homes withdrew from patient accounts without following proper rules.

Vital facts for 'don't knows' before historic May 25 vote 

Q. I consider myself a "middle grounder", not passionately pro-life or pro-choice and yet to decide how to vote in the upcoming referendum on the Eighth Amendment. I want facts. Where are we now?

Costly condom tax increases risk of crisis pregnancy 

Government coffers are benefiting from a 13.5pc VAT levy on condoms - despite a pledge to make contraceptives more affordable to cut down on abortions.

10,511 patients stuck on trolleys this month 

More evidence of the hospital overcrowding crisis has emerged as new figures show a record-breaking 10,511 patients have been forced to wait on trolleys for a bed in March.

March breaks records for hospital overcrowding - INMO 

10,511 patients have been forced to wait on hospital trolleys for a bed in March - making it a record-breaking month for overcrowding.

More than 4,000 children left waiting for a social worker - Tusla chief 

More than 4,000 children who were referred to protection and welfare services are waiting to be allocated a social worker, it has emerged.

3,000 patients a year told they have cancer in A&E 

More than 3,000 cancer patients a year are only discovering they have the illness after attending A&E - and for many the disease is already advanced, a damning report reveals today.

'I went to A&E with meningitis and found out I had cancer' 

Lyndsey Connolly was only in her mid-20s when she ended up being diagnosed with cancer in A&E.

Volunteers needed for study on signs of dementia 

A search is underway to find 100 middle-aged people in Ireland to take part in a ground-breaking investigation aimed at finding ways of identifying signs of dementia up to three decades before they strike.

321 ill patients still alive today after receiving 'the gift of life' 

The work of hospital co-ordinators who broach the sensitive request for organ donation with soon-to-be-bereaved families is central to the record number of patients undergoing life-saving transplants last year.

'Urgent' GP appointment could take a week, while patients are facing six week wait for regular visit, warn doctors 

Patients are at risk of having to wait six weeks for a routine appointment to see their GP because doctors cannot cope with their workload, doctors warned today.

Vaccine for cervical cancer refused by 11,000 schoolgirls due to safety fears 

More than 11,000 schoolgirls last autumn refused the life- saving HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer - but the uptake is still higher than in previous years.

Irish fatal foetal cases 'may be refused' in UK hospitals 

Obstetrician and repeal campaigner Dr Peter Boylan has warned that UK hospitals may no longer be able to provide services in cases of fatal foetal abnormality.

GPs call for more 'talk therapy' to curb pill use 

Patients are being prescribed anti-depressants by GPs because of a lack of talking therapies, doctors warned yesterday.

Children facing two-year wait to see obesity specialists 

Children who need therapy for obesity are facing a two-year wait to be seen in the country's only multidisciplinary clinic in Temple Street Children's Hospital.

Overcrowding crisis: Hot meals banned for patients languishing on hospital trolleys 

Overcrowded hospitals have been forced to stop giving hot meals to patients who are on trolleys waiting for a bed.

Lethal superbug outbreaks hit patients in crisis-hit hospitals 

Patients are falling victim to outbreaks of deadly superbugs in dangerously overcrowded hospitals.

'I spent 22 hours on a plastic chair in frozen cold A&E' - music teacher (24) 

A young music teacher endured the ordeal of spending 22 hours on a plastic chair in the waiting room at the Mater Hospital A&E in Dublin.

Harris orders review of hospital car park charges 

Health Minister Simon Harris has ordered a review of unpopular hospital car parking charges.

Men four times more likely to die by suicide than women 

Men are four times more likely to die by suicide than women and the highest risk group is among those aged 45-54, researchers have found.

Flu death toll rises to 148 as hospitals feel strain 

The death toll from flu this winter rose to 148 as the country recovers from the recent Arctic blast that left many vulnerable people at risk.

'It is unacceptable' - Hospital puts cancer tests on hold after A&E swamped 

VITAL investigations used to identify cancer and other serious illnesses have been put on hold at a major city hospital in a bid to free up space for A&E patients.

Patient delays for surgery worsen in crisis-hit hospitals 

Waiting times for patients facing the longest delays for surgery have worsened again as overwhelmed hospitals buckle under the strain of record levels of overcrowding.

Disability group's poor cash controls 

Seriously inadequate financial controls at the disability organisation Cheshire Ireland were found by HSE auditors.

Lots of work to be done to win back public's faith and trust in voluntary sector 

Is it ever right to use donated funds to give a gift or reward to people who serve on charity boards, giving their time and expertise for free?

Clogged hospitals now face shortage of home care staff 

Hospitals trying to stem severe overcrowding are facing a new stumbling block due to the failure to secure enough staff to provide home care packages for patients ready for discharge.

Tusla paid extra €30,000 for consultant 

Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, hired a consultant to work in the Educational Welfare and School Completion Services area without open competition, paying €72,425 for work originally estimated to cost €43,200.

Hospice charity splashed out cash on €700 dinner in top restaurant 

Members of the board of Our Lady's Hospice in Dublin enjoyed a €700 dinner in a fashionable city restaurant paid for from charity funds, an audit revealed yesterday.

Already dire situation may get worse 

The worst overcrowding may be yet to come in hospital A&Es. It is unprecedented to reach March and see the kind of battlefield scenes witnessed in hospitals yesterday as 714 patients waited for a bed on trolleys.

Vacancies for 23 GPs across the country 

Around 23 vacancies currently exist for full-time GPs to take over lists of medical card patients in different parts of the country.

Conditions in A&Es 'now a danger to our patients' lives' 

Frail elderly patients are being left on trolleys for days while enduring "sub-human conditions" as hospitals grapple with record levels of overcrowding.

Hospice paid €119,000 in fees to firm linked to former chief 

Our Lady's Hospice in south Dublin paid €119,000 in training fees to a company with connections to the then chief executive Mo Flynn, according to a HSE audit.

Hospice paid €119k in training fees to company with connections to former chief executive 

Our Lady’s Hospice in Harold’s Cross in Dublin paid €119,000 in training fees to a company with connections to the then chief executive Mo Flynn, according to a HSE audit.

Number of patients on trolleys hits new record-high 

The number of patients on hospital trolleys soared to a new record today as 714 people across the country waited for a bed.

'Tax on sick': €1m a month collected in parking charges at public hospitals 

Patients and visitors are now shelling out more than €1m a month in car parking charges at HSE-run hospitals, new figures reveal.

How proposal to allow abortion up to 12 weeks will work... 

The most controversial part of proposals to liberalise our abortion law is to allow unrestricted termination of pregnancy up to 12 weeks. How will it work?

Flu season is the 'worst on record' - HSE 

The flu season has been the "worst on record" for circulating at such a high level for so long, it has emerged.

Meningitis outbreak: Probe as one child (6) dies and a second is left seriously ill 

A PUBLIC health investigation is under way into a meningitis outbreak that has claimed the life of a six-year-old girl and left another girl seriously ill.

GPs still in dark about proposals for abortion law 

One in every 1,000 medical abortions can lead to excessive bleeding and a possible need for a blood transfusion, according to the UK's NHS.

Death toll from flu rose to 136 during big freeze 

The death toll from flu rose to 136 as the country was stricken with deep snow and sub-zero conditions.

Food supplements used to gain muscle recalled due to 'serious health risk' 

A brand of food supplement used to gain muscle or burn fat, made by Falcon Labs, has been recalled due to the serious risk posed to health.

Over 60pc of stroke patients not arriving at A&E in time to have optimum treatment 

More than 60pc of people who suffer a stroke are not making it to hospital emergency departments in the ideal time frame, specialists warned yesterday.

Two-thirds of GPs will refuse to provide abortion pills 

A majority of GPs say they will not provide abortion pills to women in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy if it becomes law, according to a survey of family doctors.

Tired and worried patients wait on trolleys for hours as hospital A&Es choked after blizzard 

More than 200 patients endured delays of at least nine hours for a bed in hospitals across the country yesterday amid growing concern about the impact of the slow recovery from the recent snow.

HSE chief to leave post after six years 

Tony O'Brien, who is to leave his post as director general of the HSE this summer, was appointed six years ago to wind it up.

Patients will be given 'better' flu jab next winter 

A new flu vaccine will be made available to people next winter, which it is hoped will give patients better protection.

Irish team's discovery offers new Alzheimer's therapy hope 

The first blood test that can diagnose Alzheimer's disease in its early stages, and predict how the illness will progress has been discovered by Irish scientists.

HSE Director General Tony O'Brien will leave job this summer - 'it's been a unique privilege' 

Tony O’Brien has announced he will leave his post as Director General of the Health Service Executive in the summer.

Patient influx at A&Es to force more surgeries to be cancelled 

Hospital overcrowding, which reached a near-record high yesterday, is set to worsen this week - forcing the cancellation of hundreds of much-needed surgical operations for waiting-list patients.

Winter flu jab is 'poor' in protecting people from killer 'Aussie flu' - study 

The flu jab given to thousands of people in Ireland this winter provided poor protection against one of the main killer strains, a new study reveals.

Further disruption of hospital services is expected next week 

Patients are facing into another week of disruption, and cancellations of some hospital appointments, although the plan is to try to resume as many services as possible.

Most costly public nursing home charges €2,339 a week per resident 

The most expensive public nursing home in the country now charges €2,339 a week per resident, according to new figures.

Hospital appointments axed as vulnerable people get priority for home help 

Hospitals have had to take the drastic decision to cancel the appointments of thousands of patients at outpatient clinics or on a list for scheduled surgery as a result of the dangerous weather conditions.

Some fertility clinics 'exploiting couples with unnecessary tests' 

Couples who are undergoing fertility treatment in some clinics are being "financially exploited" and having additional investigations that are not necessary, the Oireachtas health committee was told yesterday.

'Walk like a penguin': Expert's advice if you go out in snow and ice 

Pedestrians who want to reduce their risk of a slip or fall on treacherous icy footpaths should walk like a penguin, experts advise.

Weather may hamper home-help visits for elderly and disabled 

Snowy and treacherous weather may hamper the ability of some HSE home helps and public health nurses to carry out home visits to the elderly and disabled.

Man searching for diagnosis given hospital appointment on date six years away 

A man who has spent four years desperately searching for a diagnosis to distressing neurological symptoms, has revealed his devastation after receiving a letter telling him his appointment to see a specialist for a second opinion will not be until 2024.

Arctic chill will put even more pressure on hospitals 

Hospital A&E departments, which are already under intolerable strain, are facing a week of chaos as the Arctic blast threatens to brings a spike in injury and illness.

Children put at risk due to failing service 

Weak standards in child protection and welfare services in Carlow, Kilkenny and the Tipperary area left young people at risk, a damning inspection report has revealed.

Just half of babies with meningitis display symptoms 

Just half of babies under three months of age who have potentially deadly bacterial meningitis show symptoms of the fever which, for decades, has been the trigger for further medical investigation, according to new research.

​Just seven of the 35 care hubs pledged by Reilly open 

Just seven of the controversial list of 35 primary care centres announced by former health minister James Reilly nearly six years ago are operational, it has emerged.

A good night's sleep is the key to your dreams, GAA stars told 

They strive for perfection on the pitch, but elite GAA players may be undermining their chances of winning that coveted championship this year by not getting enough sleep.

Mortality rate for breast cancer is 9pc lower among women in eastern region 

The death rate from breast cancer is 9pc lower among women in the east compared to the rest of the country, according to a new study.

Doctor at centre of missed cancers was employed by hospital for a year 

The pathologist who misdiagnosed the breast cancer tests of two patients at St James's Hospital in Dublin was employed there for the whole of 2010.

Taoiseach's views on pain killer patches 'beyond comprehension': doctor 

Claims by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar that patient safety concerns were part of the reason for rationing the prescription of the Versatis pain patch were described as "beyond comprehension" by a doctor.

'It was bizarre' - Man's shock at 2024 appointment to see neurologist 

A man who has been given an appointment to see a neurologist in January 2024 has told of his shock at the length of time he was expected to endure before being assessed by the specialist.

Spin and complacency are the last things we need as waiting lists grow 

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's recent comment that a figure of 6,300 children on the waiting list to see a psychologist amounted to a move in "the right direction" shows a worrying level of complacency.

Stronger warnings for child-bearing age women about epilepsy drug 

Strengthened warnings about the prescribing of the medicine valproate, which has been linked to birth defects, were issued to pharmacists today.

'He knew he had no hope' - partner of man who suffered 'horrific death' after hospital transfer 

MURIEL Kiely is still haunted by the last desperate words of her long-time partner Jimmy as he died gasping for breath.

Liberalising law on terminations 'will affect surgery waiting lists in maternity units' 

Widening the grounds for abortion will have implications for maternity services and may affect waiting lists for gynaecological surgery.

Elderly man suffered 'horrific death' 30 minutes after transfer to public nursing home 

An elderly man who was transferred from hospital to a nursing home suffered a “horrific death” that was completely preventable, a report revealed today.

Hospital at the centre of cancer errors rules out review of patients' tests 

A review of the breast cancer test results for around 270 patients has been ruled out despite the doctor involved in their care misdiagnosing two other women with the disease.

Three pints a day can lead to dementia 

Three pints of beer or two large glasses of wine each day can push drinkers towards early dementia, a new study reveals today.

Early oesophageal cancer diagnosis boosting survival rates 

More patients with oesophageal cancer are being treated early in this country, which is increasing their chances of survival.

Crisis pregnancy counselling service is criticised over its opening hours 

Counselling services for women in crisis pregnancy - which are aimed at reducing the abortion rate - are criticised for being too limited in their opening hours, despite getting €2.6m in State funding.

Thawley inquiry to probe hospital response 

The readiness of the National Maternity Hospital in Holles Street to respond to major emergencies when surgery is needed will be probed in an inquiry into the death of Malak Thawley.

Revealed: Number of children waiting to see specialist jumps from 505 to 8,500 since Government took office 

The number of children enduring the most gruelling delays to see a specialist has spiralled to 8,553 - up from 505 since the Government took office, new figures reveal.

Malak Thawley death: Holles Street's 'major emergency response' protocol now to be probed 

The readiness of the National Maternity Hospital in Holles St to respond to major emergencies when surgery is needed is to be probed in an inquiry into the death of Malak Thawley, it emerged today.

Merchant's Quay will let addicts inject on premises 

The country's first supervised injecting centre for drug addicts is expected to be in Merchant's Quay in Dublin.

Three new hospitals in health's €10.9bn - but no timeline on projects 

Three hospitals - in Dublin, Cork and Galway - will be dedicated to treating patients on waiting lists and providing quicker access to scans.

First supervised drug injection room planned for Dublin city centre 

The opening of the country’s first supervised drug injecting centre moved a step closer today after it was announced the Merchant’s Quay Project has been chosen to run it.

Hospitals overhaul 'to make it harder to recruit specialists' 

Medical consultants earning almost €200m a year in fees for treating private patients in public hospitals are opposing controversial plans to overhaul the service, it has emerged.

Newborn spent 24 hours in A&E over bed shortage 

A shortage of beds forced doctors in the main children's hospitals to keep 11 young patients - including a newborn baby - in its A&E for more than nine hours yesterday.