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News: December 2008

Six hospitals got formal 'risk letters'

Gary Culliton | 22 December 2008 | Hospital Medicine

Six hospitals received a formal risk letter from the Health Information and Quality Authority this year, drawing attention to specific and significant risks identified by HIQA assessors on unannounced visits. Examples of risks included not eliminating clinical waste from public... Read more

Hibernian customers will be charged €160 levy

Gary Culliton | 19 December 2008 | Private Healthcare

Hibernian Health, the health insurance arm of Hibernian Group, Ireland’s largest insurer, has announced it will not absorb the new government health insurance levy. Customers will be charged the €160 levy. Hibernian said it would formally challenge the Government’s "anti-consumer... Read more

Flu vaccine urged

Gary Culliton | 18 December 2008 | Public Health

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre today urged people in high-risk categories to get vaccinated against influenza, as the number of reported cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) in Ireland has doubled in the past week. ILI rates have risen from 20.3... Read more

Average length of hospital stay 4.8 days

Gary Culliton | 18 December 2008 | Health Management

The average length of stay for acute in-patients in Irish hospitals in 2006 was 4.8 days. Close to 1.25 million discharges were reported by Irish hospitals and over half of total discharges were day patients (53.2%); the remainder were in-patients... Read more

IMT scoops award for top website

17 December 2008 | Research and Education

Irish Medical Times has been crowned Website of the Year at the Periodical Publishers Association of Ireland Awards (PPAI).

The award was presented to editor Terence Cosgrave at a gala dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel last Thursday night. It’s a... Read more

HSE staff to be consulted on €920m cutbacks

Gary Culliton | 17 December 2008 | Health Management

Management and staff will be fully consulted on a plan to slash €920m from the health services budget next year, Taoiseach Brian Cowen has said. Unions want to bring forward alternative cost-cutting proposals which they said will not impact so... Read more

More that 2,700 BreastCheck cancers found

Gary Culliton | 17 December 2008 | Public Health

Since the BreastCheck service began, a total of 442,612 BreastCheck mammograms have been provided to women aged 50 to 64 and 2,717 breast cancers have been detected and treated (2000–September 2008). The Board of the National Cancer Screening Service (NCSS)... Read more

Counselling service to open over Christmas

17 December 2008 | Public Health

Connect, which is a free and confidential counselling service for adults who were abused in childhood is to extend its hours to open every day over Christmas. The service is normally available Wednesday to Sunday 6-10pm, however it will open... Read more

Grant funding for alimentary centre

Gary Culliton | 17 December 2008 | Research and Education

The Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre (APC) based at University College Cork which is focusing on research in gastrointestinal health is to benefit from new grant funding announced today. The five-year funding awards recipients under the Science Foundation Ireland Centres for Science,... Read more

IMB reveals siezures of medicines

Gary Culliton | 16 December 2008 | Regulation

During 2007, a total of 1,397 cases involving breaches of medicinal product legislation were initiated by the Irish Medicines Board (IMB), according to its Annual Report. The number of enforcement cases initiated for breach of medicinal product legislation almost trebled... Read more

Teenage and adult mumps cases exceed 1,000

Gary Culliton | 16 December 2008 | Public Health

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre today warned teenagers and young adults to make sure that they have had two doses of MMR vaccine following over 1000 cases of the disease in 2008. 1166 cases have been reported so far compared... Read more

Irish medicine prices highest in Europe

Gary Culliton | 16 December 2008 | Health Management

Medicine prices in Ireland are amongst the highest in Europe, a new paper shows, following a five-fold increase in Government spending on drugs over the last tenyears. Dr Michael Barry, who has delivered a report to Health Minister Harney on... Read more

CUH: programme to assess clinicians

Gary Culliton | 15 December 2008 | Hospital Medicine

A Cork group has recently been awarded new EU funding to undertake an e-learning project, Ortho-on-Line. The partners (from Ireland, Greece, and Bulgaria) will develop a web-based platform to support training in the care of patients undergoing Orthopaedic surgery. Doctors... Read more

NTPF says there is no need for patients to wait for colonoscopies

Gary Culliton | 15 December 2008 | Health Management

The National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) has said it is in a position to treat patients currently waiting long periods for colonoscopies. “The NTPF has the resources, budget and capacity to provide these scopes within weeks,” a spokesperson said. Latest... Read more

Cost of cutting drugs margins totals €51m

Gary Culliton | 12 December 2008 | Health Management

The cost of the HSE’s incorrect approach to cutting the margins on drugs last March is expected to run to €8.5 million per month, a total of €51 million, it has emerged. The Commercial Court, ruling in the Hickey case... Read more

Nutrition supplements claims rejected

Gary Culliton | 12 December 2008 | Public Health

Calls for restrictions on the use of oral nutritional supplements (ONS) have been strongly criticised by professionals working in the field. British-based consultant gastroenterologist Dr Mike Stroud, who chaired a UK committee on ONS, said the supplements were ‘cost effective’... Read more

Medical Council buys new online registration system

Greg Baxter | 12 December 2008 | Regulation

The Medical Council has bought an online registration system for €600,000, replacing its paper system. Doctors will now be able to go online to apply and pay for registration, and request a Certificate of Good Standing.... Read more

Synchrony sign co-location agreement

11 December 2008 |

Synchrony Healthcare has signed an agreement with the HSE and St James’s which will see it build a new facility providing 195 in-patient beds, 72 outpatient beds and eight operating theatres. 

An application for planning permission will now be submitted.... Read more

Coombe has its busiest year yet

Greg Baxter | 11 December 2008 | Hospital Medicine

Births increased by five per cent to almost 8,500 at the Coombe Hospital from 2006 to 2007 – which the hospital reported as its busiest year on record. In the introduction to the 2007 Annual Clinical Report, the Master of... Read more

196 children admitted to adult psychiatric wards in first ten months

June Shannon | 11 December 2008 | Hospital Medicine

More children were admitted to adult psychiatric units in the first ten months of this year than were admitted in the full 12 months of 2007, according to the latest data from the Mental Health Commission (MHC). The data revealed... Read more

Green light for hospital parking

Dara Gantly | 11 December 2008 | Planning and Development

The perennial problem of traffic congestion at University Hospital Galway (UHG) may be ‘parked’ for good following confirmation that the HSE is to proceed with the construction of a new 146-space car park and accompanying ring-road around the hospital campus.... Read more

St James's signs co-location agreement

Gary Culliton | 11 December 2008 | Hospital Medicine

Synchrony Healthcare has signed an agreement with the HSE and St James’s which will see it build a new facility providing 195 in-patient beds, 72 outpatient beds and eight operating theatres. 

An application for planning permission will now be submitted.... Read more

Person dies of botulism poisoning

Gary Culliton | 11 December 2008 | Public Health

Over the past two weeks the HSE has been investigating an outbreak of Botulism among heroin users in Dublin. Four possible cases were notified in the week of November 24th. The incident is being managed by an outbreak control team... Read more

Patients in North West still wait longest

Gary Culliton | 11 December 2008 | Health Management

A total of 3,620 patients are currently waiting over three months for diagnostic scopes, including, in more than half of these cases, a colonoscopy. While this total represents a reduction of one-third since this time last year, the National Treatment... Read more

Rise in cannabis growing

Gary Culliton | 10 December 2008 | Public Health

The vast majority of cannabis users are being supplied by family and friends, a cross-border study has revealed. There has also been an upsurge in the amount of the drug being grown in the Republic and Northern Ireland.... Read more

€1m for colorectal cancer screening

Gary Culliton | 10 December 2008 | Public Health

The Government has provided €1 million through the national screening service to prepare for the roll-out of a colorectal cancer screening programme, Health Minister Harney told last week’s Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children. “We are aware that there... Read more

Forecasting method to predict flu numbers

Greg Baxter | 10 December 2008 | Public Health

Researchers at UCC will try and use an innovative forecasting method to predict how many people in Ireland will catch the flu this winter. The project is being led by Dr Dylan Evans, Lecturer in Behavioural Science at the School... Read more

Cavan General to get €2.25m MRI facility

Ian McGuinness | 10 December 2008 | Hospital Medicine

Over €2.25 million is to be spent on an MRI facility in Cavan General Hospital by the Health Service Executive. The HSE recently announced that it had awarded the contract for the project to Siemens Limited of Fitzwilliam Court in... Read more

Harney ‘concerned’ about slow progress

Gary Culliton | 10 December 2008 | Health Management

Health Minister Mary Harney has said she is ‘deeply concerned’ at the slow rate of progress in implementing new HSE working arrangements. She said there have been ‘no tangible benefits for patients’. No Clinical Directors have been appointed to date,... Read more

Involuntary detentions upheld by tribunals

Ian McGuinness | 10 December 2008 | Hospital Medicine

The vast majority of decisions to involuntarily detain patients in psychiatric institutions are still being upheld by mental health tribunals. However, the latest figures for involuntary detentions that were revoked at tribunal hearings so far this year, peaked in October,... Read more

Cork hospital visitor restrictions due to vomiting bug

Gary Culliton | 09 December 2008 | Hospital Medicine

Strict visitor restrictions are being enforced with immediate effect at CUH/CUMH due to an increased incidence of patients with suspected norovirus - commonly known as the vomiting bug. Visiting times are restricted to 6.30pm – 7.30pm in both CUH &... Read more

Cork Cocaine Public Awareness Campaign

Gary Culliton | 09 December 2008 |

A public awareness campaign focused on cocaine use will be launched tomorrow (10th December 2008) by the Cork Local Drugs Task Force (CLDTF) in the Imperial Hotel, Cork at 2.30pm. The campaign will highlight the dangers of using cocaine and... Read more

Cold sore virus could be behind Alzheimer's

Gary Culliton | 09 December 2008 | Public Health

The virus behind cold sores is a major cause of the insoluble protein plaques found in the brains of Alzheimer's disease sufferers, University of Manchester researchers have revealed. They believe the herpes simplex virus is a significant factor in developing... Read more

Pharmacists could substitute generics

Ian McGuinness | 09 December 2008 | Public Health

The President of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland said he would not have a problem with a pharmacist being allowed to substitute a generic product for one that he prescribed to a patient. Dr John Donohoe said the... Read more

Does Ireland lead the way in health reform?

By Alan Deeley | 09 December 2008 | Health Management

The Department of Health this week explained Minister Harney’s Dail claim that ‘many other countries’ will consider adopting the same reform methodologies she chose in 2005 – an apparent suggestion that Ireland’s route with the HSE could inform international practice.... Read more

Charities to double research funding

Ian McGuinness | 09 December 2008 | Research and Education

Certain medical charities are planning to almost double their spending on research, despite the downturn in the economy, it has emerged. Speaking at the annual general meeting of the Medical Research Charities Group (MRCG), Chairperson John McCormack said that when... Read more

Chief Medical Officer says pigmeat move is precautionary

Gary Culliton | 08 December 2008 | Health Management

The state's Chief Medical Officer said there was no need for the public to worry and that the government had taken a precautionary approach to minimise the risk to public health. Dr Tony Holohan said the public should simply destroy... Read more

New Chief Medical Officer appointed

Gary Culliton | 08 December 2008 | Health Management

The Department of Health has announced the appointment of Dr Tony Holohan as its Chief Medical Officer. The key responsibilities of the Chief Medical Officer include; providing expert medical evidence, analysis and advice to the Minister, Ministers of State and... Read more

Pharmaceutical companies are accused of blocking competition

Dara Gantly | 08 December 2008 | Health Management

Competition in the pharmaceutical industry does not work as well as it should, with evidence suggesting that companies are purposely delaying or blocking market entry of competing medicine. In a preliminary report from the European Commission, companies have been accused... Read more

Over 70s medical cards valid until March

Gary Culliton | 05 December 2008 | Health Management

Proposed legislation to end the automatic entitlement to a medical card for people aged 70 years and older from 1 January has been published by the Government. Those card holders whose gross income is below the relevant income limits can... Read more

Millions to be saved on GMS

Gary Culliton | 05 December 2008 | Health Management

Savings of between €60m and €70m per year on GMS medicines are projected to result from recommendations contained in a report by a review group headed by pharmacologist Dr Michael Barry, which has been delivered to Health Minister Harney. Controversial... Read more

HSE to spend €1m on forms

Ian McGuinness | 05 December 2008 | Health Management

The Health Service Executive (HSE) is to spend €1 million on printing and delivering two types of forms. The HSE recently announced that it will pay that amount, over a three-year period, to whatever company or companies successfully tender for... Read more

Stillorgan programme shows way for IBTS

Alan Deeley | 05 December 2008 | Public Health

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) hopes to synchronise blood-letting treatment with blood donation for the exceptional numbers of Irish people with the iron-accumulating condition, haemochromatosis, following a successful programme run at the blood centre in Stillorgan, County Dublin. Writing... Read more

‘Reasonable to expect 10% to 20% cuts’ in administration costs

Gary Culliton | 05 December 2008 | Health Management

The HSE has said that it would be ‘reasonable to expect efficiencies of 10 % to 20%’ in administration costs from hospitals coming together to share unified organisational structures. The Executive added that ‘the level of savings, and the scale... Read more

HPSC urges doctors to watch out for botulism

Gary Culliton | 05 December 2008 | Public Health

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has urged clinicians and other health professionals to be on the lookout for botulism in injecting drug users following four suspected cases of the disease. HPSC and the HSE East Public Health Department have been... Read more

Harney slams 'slow progress' on €72m contract, Clinical Directors

Gary Culliton | 04 December 2008 | Industrial Relations

Health Minister Mary Harney has said she is “deeply concerned” at the slow rate of progress in implementing new HSE working arrangements. She added that there have been “no tangible benefits for patients.” No Clinical Directors have been appointed to... Read more

Labour Court says HSE West must consult union

Ian McGuinness | 04 December 2008 | Industrial Relations

The HSE West breached the social partnership agreement, the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) has told the Labour Court. The row involved the transfer of a number of long-term patients to hostel facilities run by Rehab Care. The PNA said the... Read more

Stem cells can 'protect motor neurons, screen therapeutics'

Gary Culliton | 04 December 2008 | Research and Education

Two new research studies have used motor neurons derived from human embryonic stem (hES) cells to demonstrate that multiple toxic pathways contribute to the devastating degeneration associated with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and that protective therapeutics will need to oppose... Read more

New UL medical school planning granted

Dara Gantly | 04 December 2008 | Planning and Development

Clare County Council has granted planning permission to the University of Limerick (UL) to construct a new 4,295 sq metre, four-storey building to house its Graduate Entry Medical School. The building works – which includes the construction of a piazza... Read more

GAA moves to control drugs/alcohol ASAP

Gary Culliton | 04 December 2008 | Public Health

To date, four provincial officers and 32 county officers have been appointed to implement an Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) Programme, which is a joint venture by the HSE and the GAA. The aim is to help local clubs... Read more

Building begins on Mater campus

Ian McGuinness | 04 December 2008 | Planning and Development

A contract has been awarded to a Dublin company to undertake preparatory work for the construction of the proposed Mater Hospital campus but the cost of this has not been revealed. Mater Campus Hospital Development Limited awarded the contract to... Read more

Interviews for CMO to begin this month

By Dara Gantly | 03 December 2008 | Health Management

Interviews to select the new Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the Department of Health are scheduled to take place this month, Irish Medical Times has learned. A spokesperson for the Department confirmed that the interview board met in October to... Read more

Reactions to HPV vaccine in Australia 'uncommon'

03 December 2008 | Public Health

New research describes hypersensitivity reactions to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in Australian schoolgirls. A total of 35 schoolgirls aged 12 to 18.9 years with suspected hypersensitivity reactions to the quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine, were studied. True hypersensitivity to the quadrivalent... Read more

Exercise in pregnancy linked to fatal raised blood pressure condition

03 December 2008 | Public Health

The results of a study involving more than 85,000 pregnant women surprised researchers as it was thought exercise would have a beneficial effect. Pregnant women are recommended to take 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per day and the latest... Read more

No inspection of services for 400 children

Gary Culliton | 03 December 2008 | Regulation

There are over 400 children with disabilities in residential care who do not have the protection of the Office of the Social Services Inspectorate, which is offered to children without disabilities in residential care. “This is a serious defect in... Read more

Calls for report into binge eating

Alan Deeley | 03 December 2008 | Public Health

A national charity has stated that the latest figures on Irish obesity illustrate the need for a report on binge eating disorder [BED], which could affect up to four per cent of the adult population. Bodywhys Communications Officer, Ruth Ni... Read more

Expenses relief change

Gary Culliton | 03 December 2008 | Health Management

Health expenses relief will be granted at the standard rate only from January 1, 2009 with the exception of nursing home expenses which will be at the marginal rate in 2009, under the new Finance Bill. Most medical expenses with... Read more

Holles St to re-submit planning application

Ian McGuinness | 03 December 2008 | Planning and Development

A plan to build a six storey extension at the National Maternity Hospital in Holles Street, to help it cope with its increasing number of patients, has been delayed because the planning application was declared invalid. Dublin City Council declared... Read more

Hibernian price promotion

Gary Culliton | 02 December 2008 | Private Healthcare

Hibernian Health is to reduce prices by 10 per cent across all levels of cover for consumers who join on selected dates in December. This price promotion is open to anyone who commences cover on December 21st or 30th. Anyone... Read more

Strong regulation 'could have prevented Shipman'

Gary Culliton | 02 December 2008 | Regulation

Speaking at a lecture in Trinity College Dublin to mark the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) Council’s meeting at the Trinity School of Pharmacy, Ms. Jackie Giltrow, Head of Regulatory Transition with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB)... Read more

Total of 170 new AIDS cases

Gary Culliton | 02 December 2008 | Public Health

The latest statistics from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre show almost 5,000 people in Ireland had tested positive for HIV by the end of June this year. There were 170 new cases in the first six months of the year.... Read more

Roscrea centre is 'better than nothing'

By Alan Deeley | 02 December 2008 | Planning and Development

The use of a former childcare centre in Roscrea to house another of the health service’s much trumpeted Primary Care Teams – instead of a Primary Care Centre as promised in the 2001 Strategy – is better than nothing, Health... Read more

National Therapy Strategy is launched

Greg Baxter | 02 December 2008 | Research and Education

The National Therapy Strategy 2008 - 2013 has been launched by Minister for Health, Mary Harney. The Strategy will promote research in the therapy professions: chiropodists/podiatrists, dietetics, occupational therapists, orthoptists, physiotherapists, and speech-and-language therapists. The Strategy sets five goals to... Read more

WRH launch cancer awareness project

Gary Culliton | 02 December 2008 | Public Health

The Waterford Healing Arts Trust, in partnership with the Oncology/Haematology Services of Waterford Regional Hospital (WRH) and the HSE Health Promotion Unit, have launched My Breast Friend, a creative project that aims to raise awareness around Breast Health in WRH.... Read more

Blackrock can build bigger ICU

02 December 2008 | Private Healthcare

The Blackrock Clinic can build a newer and larger intensive care unit, as it has received permission to do so from the local council. Early last month, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council gave it permission to build a single storey extension... Read more

Half of people with HIV face discrimination

02 December 2008 | Public Health

Almost half of all people with HIV are discriminated against by friends. The report by Irish Aid, the Department for Health and Children, people living with HIV (PLHIV) and national and international NGOs, found 54% of the public took a... Read more

SFI DG receives doctorate

02 December 2008 | Research and Education

Director-General of Science Foundation Ireland, Prof Frank Gannon, this week received an honorary doctorate from the University of Queensland, Australia. The university recognised his outstanding contribution to molecular bioscience, including some 200 research articles published in international journals. Prof Gannon’s... Read more

'Marked improvement' in cancer survival

Gary Culliton | 02 December 2008 | Public Health

New figures from the National Cancer Registry published at the fourth all-Ireland cancer conference in Dublin, show a marked improvement in cancer treatment and survival. However, the number of newly-diagnosed cancers is set to double in the next 20 years.... Read more

Head of HIQA to appear at Oireachtas Health Committee

editor@imt.ie | 01 December 2008 | News

The CEO of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), Dr Tracey Cooper will appear before tomorrow’s meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children. The meeting will be addressing the issue of Standards in Residential Services for People... Read more

Funding programme hopes to create specialist posts in Malawi

Alan Deeley | 01 December 2008 | Foreign News

The College of Anaesthetists has begun a three-year programme of funding with Irish Aid to incentivise the creation, uptake and development of specialist posts in Malawi. Irish extern director of the project, Prof Anthony Cunningham, told Irish Medical Times that... Read more

Second infectious person 'detained'

Gary Culliton | 01 December 2008 | Health Management

There are currently two people being detained under Section 38 of the Health Act 1947 (which applies to the detention and isolation of a person who is a probable source of infection). A woman who has been detained in hospital... Read more

UCC regulations 'restrict rogue scientists'

Gary Culliton | 01 December 2008 | Research and Education

Currently there are no legal guidelines for stemcell research in Ireland and a “rogue scientist could do ethically and medically unsubstantiated experiments and not be punished,” leading Irish researcher Dr Stephen Sullivan has said. What UCC has done in introducing... Read more

New hope for bone growth

Gary Culliton | 01 December 2008 | Public Health

Bone growth is controlled in the gut through serotonin, the same naturally present chemical used by the brain to influence mood, appetite and sleep, according to a new discovery from researchers at Columbia University Medical Center. Until now, the skeleton... Read more

Illegible vetting forms for locums returned

Greg Baxter | 01 December 2008 | Regulation

A significant number of garda vetting applications for locum doctors are being returned to doctors because they are illegible, a spokesman for the National Recruitment Federation (NRF) told Irish Medical Times. Meanwhile, a ‘small number of undesirables’ have been stopped... Read more

Drumm's comments go unanswered by HSE

Ian McGuinness | 01 December 2008 | Health Management

The Health Service Executive has refused to comment on remarks that its Chief Executive Officer, Prof Brendan Drumm, is on record as making at a recent HSE South Regional Forum. Minutes of the meeting held on September 18, which recently... Read more

IMO and IPU clash over ailments scheme

Gary Culliton | 01 December 2008 | General Practice

A major row has erupted between the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) and the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU), with the IMO lashing the proposed National Minor Ailments Scheme. Under the scheme, the State’s bill for reimbursing the cost of medicines ‘will... Read more