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News: September 2009

FTP inquiry into Cork GP’s prescribing is adjourned until November

Dara Gantly | 30 September 2009 | News

The Medical Council’s Fitness to Practise (FTP) hearing into a GP from Cork facing charges of professional misconduct has been adjourned until November. The hearing against Polish-born Dr Iwona Kulczyk-Repec, for allegedly prescribing large doses of opiate-based drugs to patients... Read more

Massive reduction in GP smear test numbers

Niamh Mullen | 30 September 2009 | General Practice

GPs believe there has been a massive reduction in the number of smear tests being carried out since CervicalCheck moved to a call/re-call system on September 1. A practice manager told Irish Medical Times they had only seen four women... Read more

North GPs agree vaccine payment

Dara Gantly | 30 September 2009 | General Practice

GPs in Northern Ireland have agreed a payment of Stg£5.25 (E5.90) for administering each dose of swine flu vaccine, under a new UK-wide deal negotiated last week (September 14). The additional payment will come from the UK’s Department of Health... Read more

Young women binge drink more often than young men

Niamh Mullen | 29 September 2009 | Public Health

Young women have almost caught up with their male peers when it comes to how often they drink alcohol, according to research from the Women’s Health Council (WHC). Although more men than women abuse drugs and alcohol, the WHC said... Read more

Blocked beds problem getting worse — Reilly

Gary Culliton | 29 September 2009 | Hospital Medicine

New figures show that the ‘blocked beds’ problem is getting worse, according to Fine Gael Health spokeperson, Dr James Reilly. A total of 144,565 bed days were lost to delayed discharges in the first half of the year. Dr Reilly... Read more

Medical Council on message

Dara Gantly | 29 September 2009 | News

The Medical Council is looking to recruit a public affairs consultant to advise on all media reports and public campaigns and to minimize any negative coverage of the organisation in the press. Kingram House wants to hire either an individual... Read more

Campaign to change habits

Niamh Mullen | 29 September 2009 | News

A European Union (EU) initiative to change children’s eating habits for the better was launched this week. The campaign called ‘Eat it, Drink it, Move it: the EU’s Tasty Bunch’ is financed by the EU agriculture budget. Over eight weeks,... Read more

Concern over patients unwilling to go private

Gary Culliton | 28 September 2009 | Hospital Medicine

The number of patients waiting over nine months that have been recorded by their hospitals as unwilling to accept an offer of private treatment under the National Treatment Purchase Fund scheme is ‘surprising and must be a matter of some... Read more

HSE accepts budget deficit in West this year

Dara Gantly | 28 September 2009 | Health Management

The HSE has resigned itself to recording a budget deficit in the West/ North West hospital network at the end of year. The Executive recorded an overall deficit of E123 million as of July 31, with a budgetary overrun of... Read more

Office endoscopy clinic to open in Cork in October

Niamh Mullen | 28 September 2009 | News

An ‘office endoscopy’ clinic, said to be the first of its kind in the country, is due to open in Cork next month. The clinic is the brainchild of consultant gynaecologist Dr Cyril Thornton and will offer endoscopy, hysteroscopes, cystoscopy,... Read more

Many students have mental health issues

Gary Culliton | 28 September 2009 | Research and Education

Many university students in Dublin are experiencing depression, suicidal tendencies and alcohol use problems, a new study shows. The findings of Curran et al, published in the Irish Medical Journal, suggest that students are a vulnerable group and underscore the... Read more

Unlucky 13 for donations

Gary Culliton | 25 September 2009 | News

Ireland sank to thirteenth place in Europe last year for deceased organ donation, compared to its seventh place ranking in 2007. An unpublished report on organ transplants – which has been seen by Irish Medical Times – targets system shortcomings... Read more

Struck-off Shine due in High Court in November

Dara Gantly | 25 September 2009 | Medico-Legal

The first civil proceedings against former Drogheda surgeon Michael Shine are understood to have been given priority listing in the High Court in November. A dozen men started civil actions against the struck-off doctor earlier this year, seeking damages for... Read more

Doctors have duty to be vaccinated against swine flu

Dara Gantly | 24 September 2009 | News

The Medical Council has taken the unusual step of recommending that all medical practitioners receive the swine flu vaccine when it becomes available. Immunisation to prevent contraction of the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus is to “protect themselves, patients and colleagues... Read more

HSE created more managers

Dara Gantly | 24 September 2009 | Health Management

The Department of Health (DOH) has acknowledged that the establishment of the HSE has led to overstaffing in management and administrative grades in the health service. In a confidential submission to An Bord Snip Nua, the Department also accepted that... Read more

HSE checks legal liability for EWTD non-compliance

Dara Gantly | 24 September 2009 | Regulation

The HSE is consulting its legal advisors as to the extent to which it can be held liable for the failure of HSE-funded agencies to comply with the European Working Time Directive (EWTD), Irish Medical Times has learned. Under Irish... Read more

New guide for third- level students with ADHD published

Greg Baxter | 24 September 2009 | Health Management

A new guide for students with ADHD who are considering third-level education has been published, as rising numbers of students with ADHD are entering third level education. Entitled ‘HADD 3rd Level Guide for Students with ADHD: Preparing Students and Parents... Read more

Regulation of fertility clinics is necessary - Women's Health Council needed

Niamh Mullen | 23 September 2009 | Research and Education

Regulation of clinics providing fertility treatments to couples is necessary to ensure a robust legal framework, according to the Women’s Health Council (WHC). Director of the WHC, Geraldine Luddy, said: “The need for legislation is really important. The clinics would... Read more

General practice is not the place to tackle obesity

Niamh Mullen | 23 September 2009 | General Practice

Broaching obesity in GPs’ surgeries often has no effect, particularly if the doctor is overweight themselves. Cork-based GP Dr John O’Riordan told delegates at the RCPI/RCSI Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine Annual Scientific Conference that from a primary care... Read more

Hospitals breaching job moratorium already

Dara Gantly | 23 September 2009 | Hospital Medicine

The HSE has identified possible breaches of the moratorium on recruitment and promotions in three Dublin hospitals. Increases in employment have been recorded at the Mater, Crumlin and the Rotunda Hospitals, where 15, 10 and 11 new staff were hired... Read more

EU health ministers meet for EGM on H1N1

Dara Gantly | 23 September 2009 | Public Health

A new EU strategy paper on pandemic (H1N1) 2009, and five associated working documents on swine flu, will form the basis of discussions at an ‘extraordinary meeting’ of EU health ministers on October 12. The European Commission adopted the strategy... Read more

GP charges for medical certs among complaints

Niamh Mullen | 23 September 2009 | General Practice

A lack of transparency in allocating public nursing home places, charges by GPs for sick certs for medical card holders and ‘discourteous treatment by community welfare officers’ are among complaints received by the Citizens Information Board. The latest quarterly report... Read more

HSE due €164 million from private insurers

Gary Culliton | 23 September 2009 | Health Management

The total amount due to the HSE and the voluntary hospitals in respect of mainten-ance charges from private health insurers was €164 million at the end of last year, of which €87 million was due to the HSE and €77... Read more

Irish doctor wins epilepsy prize

Niamh Mullen | 23 September 2009 | Research and Education

An Irish neurologist has been presented with a prestigious international award for his work in the field of epilepsy. Dr Norman Delanty, consultant neurologist at Beaumont Hospital was given the Ambassador for Epilepsy Award at the 28th International Epilepsy Congress... Read more

Only six Monaghan complaints received

Niamh Mullen | 23 September 2009 | Hospital Medicine

Monaghan General Hospital received only six complaints from members of the public in 2008 and only four so far this year despite thousands attending the hospital. Records released to Irish Medical Times under the Freedom of Information Act show the... Read more

GPs worried they will have to turn away high-risk women from CervicalCheck

Niamh Mullen | 22 September 2009 | General Practice

There is genuine concern among GPs that they will have to turn away high-risk, vulnerable women who want smear tests but do not have an invitation from CervicalCheck. That’s according to a letter from ICGP chief executive Fionan O’Cuinneagain to... Read more

Gene variant found that links CF to cirrhosis

Niamh Mullen | 22 September 2009 | Research and Education

A gene variant that makes people with cystic fibrosis (CF) five times more likely to develop cirrhosis of the liver has been discovered. The study funded by the Health Research Board (HRB) involved teaming up with other organisations in the... Read more

Concerns over value in ambulance service

Gary Culliton | 22 September 2009 | News

The HSE has accepted that there are value-for-money concerns about how the ambulance service is provided in the Dublin city and county area, a report from the Comptroller and Auditor General has stated. It adds that ‘a new approach to... Read more

NCHD talks set to begin at end of September

Dara Gantly | 22 September 2009 | Industrial Relations

Long-awaited talks be-tween the HSE and the IMO aimed at delivering a new contract for NCHDs will commence at the end of the month. Just three days over a space of fewer than three weeks have been set aside by... Read more

Touchstone plan 'excessive'

Dara Gantly | 21 September 2009 | Private Healthcare

Dublin City Council (DCC) has been urged to reject a renewed planning application for a controversial four-storey over-basement primary care centre in Dunlin 12 by the Labour Party’s spokesperson on Arts, Sport and Tourism. Dublin South Central TD Mary Upton... Read more

Women with breast changes urged to see GPs quickly

Niamh Mullen | 21 September 2009 | General Practice

Underestimating the seri-ousness of a change in their breast is the most common reason why women delay going to see their GP. Research conducted by Athlone Institute of Technology, in association with the Irish Cancer Society (ICS), found a majority... Read more

Website launched to end female genital mutilation

Niamh Mullen | 21 September 2009 | Information Technology

A website dedicated to tracking the response of the European Union (EU) to female genital mutilation (FGM) has been launched by Amnesty International Ireland. It will document the response of EU institutions and the Council of Europe to assess developments... Read more

Co-location put on hold?

Gary Culliton | 18 September 2009 | Health Management

The Government’s co-location strategy faces a significant setback, with the possibility that two – or even three – of the planned eight co-located hospitals may be put on hold. There has been no application yet for planning permission for co-located... Read more

HSE says it tried to engage midwest GPs in emergency plans

Niamh Mullen | 18 September 2009 | General Practice

The HSE has said it made several attempts to meet with GPs in the midwest over concerns about roles attributed to them in Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for emergencies. It also said it requested, on several occasions, that GPs ‘engage... Read more

HSE Director interviews take place

Dara Gantly | 18 September 2009 | Health Management

Interviews for the four Regional Operations Director posts within the HSE were due to take place this week, IMT has learned. Envisaged under the second wave of HSE organisational change, the four new Regional Operating Units that the Directors will... Read more

More alarm needed over obesity epidemic - McAleese

Niamh Mullen | 17 September 2009 | Public Health

President Mary McAleese has said the concern expressed about swine flu must be translated into the same level of reaction to the global obesity epidemic. “It just strikes me in watching the kind of reaction to the swine flu -... Read more

Living will should be required to refuse treatment for future illness

Niamh Mullen | 17 September 2009 | News

Legislation is required to allow people make written or verbal statements about lifesaving medical treatments they do not want in the event of future illness. That’s according to the Law Reform Commission’s Report - Bioethics: Advance Care Directives - published... Read more

Ireland spends €100m annually on colon cancer

Greg Baxter | 17 September 2009 | Hospital Medicine

Ireland spends about €100 million per year treating colo-rectal cancer, Ireland’s cancer czar told a packed conference in Dublin last week. There is a convincing argument that colorectal screening makes sense, said Prof Tom Keane, the director of the National... Read more

Experts will debate funding of healthcare

Dara Gantly | 17 September 2009 | Health Management

World-renowned experts in health financing from the Netherlands, Canada, Denmark and the UK will be in Dublin next Tuesday (September 22) to discuss how Ireland might best meet the cost of its escalating health service bill. The seminar, jointly organised... Read more

Pharmacists row cost HSE €20m

Dara Gantly | 17 September 2009 | Industrial Relations

The HSE has estimated that the recent dispute with pharmacists over cuts in fees cost the Executive up to €20 million. It was forced to put in place contingency arrangements to deal with the dispute, establishing temporary dispensaries along the... Read more

Cuts needed to protect services — Department

Dara Gantly | 17 September 2009 | Industrial Relations

The Department of Health has told the IMO that the recent 8 per cent reduction in fees and allowances paid to GPs was necessary in order to protect existing services. IMT understands that the Department recently wrote to the union... Read more

Crumlin to clear scoliosis surgery list by February

Gary Culliton | 17 September 2009 | Hospital Medicine

Crumlin Hospital’s backlog of 70 operations to correct spinal deformity is expected to be cleared by February, with children due to be operated upon from later this month. A new initiative to address the waiting list has been agreed between... Read more

US surgeon praises Irish can-do spirit

Dara Gantly | 17 September 2009 | Health Management

One of the most renowned US vascular surgeons has praised Ireland’s encouragement of small businesses operating in the healthcare field. Noted New York surgeon Prof Frank Veith believes the US should ‘take a lesson from the Irish’ when it comes... Read more

Kerry GP to give keynote at St Petersburg meeting

Dara Gantly | 17 September 2009 | General Practice

Kerry GP Dr David Buckley is to give the keynote address at the XV World Congress of Cryosurgery in St Petersburg next month. The GP from Tralee, who has a special interest in dermatology, was chosen by the International Society... Read more

Radiation plan at St James’s ‘invalid’

Dara Gantly | 17 September 2009 | Planning and Development

An application for outline planning permission for phase 2 of radiation oncology facilities at St James’s Hospital has been deemed ‘invalid’ by Dublin City Council (DCC). Due to omissions in the planning documentation, the hospital will now have to erect... Read more

Nursing-home system delayed

Dara Gantly | 16 September 2009 | News

The system to administer the Nursing Homes Support Scheme (NHSS), due to become operational from the end of September, is unlikely to go live for several months, IMT understands. The HSE has informed companies interested in pitching for the contract... Read more

Warning over mutations of swine flu virus

Gary Culliton | 16 September 2009 | Public Health

Continued virological monitoring for any mutations of the swine flu virus will be imperative over the coming months, a new Irish study has stated. Currently pandemic H1N1 is the main influenza virus circulating in Ireland, but there are likely to... Read more

Swine flu response may be ‘alarmist’

Dara Gantly | 16 September 2009 | Public Health

The public health measures taken in response to swine flu may be seen as ‘alarmist’, ‘overly restrictive’, or even ‘unjustified’, a US researcher has claimed. Peter Doshi, a doctoral student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, argues in a new... Read more

Planner 'baffled' over Cork medical centre

Dara Gantly | 15 September 2009 | Planning and Development

An inspector with An Bord Pleanála said he was ‘frankly baffled’ as to how a multi-storey medical centre on the fringe of Cork city ever got planning permission. In his report to the Bord following an appeal over permission to... Read more

Study to examine cross-border care

Dara Gantly | 15 September 2009 | Research and Education

A new cross-border study will revisit the controversial Teamwork report that recommended just one public hospital in the northeast with 24/7 clinical services. As staff in the region are digesting the news that emergency services, acute general medicine and critical... Read more

Memories of medical missions published

Niamh Mullen | 15 September 2009 | News

A medical missionary who has spent 30 years working in northern Kenya has published a book of his experiences. Fr Robert MacCabe is a medical Carmelite missionary. Since 1973, he has also been a visiting lecturer in tropical medicine at... Read more

Service cuts a big worry for disabled

Mary Anne Kenny | 15 September 2009 | Public Health

People with disabilities have serious concerns about cuts in services, it has emerged. John Dolan, Chief Executive of the Disability Federation of Ireland said that the next Budget has ‘the capacity to derail’ the National Disability Strategy (NDS) – given... Read more

Study investigates foetal screening for Down’s

15 September 2009 | Research and Education

Researchers at the University of Ulster have launched an online survey to investigate how women from Northern Ireland feel about unborn babies being screened for Down’s syndrome during pregnancy. The study, which is being funded by the Department of Employment... Read more

Conference to highlight preventive care

15 September 2009 | Health Management

A three-day conference at Dublin Castle entitled Prevention is the Cure will highlight the issue of prevention in the Irish healthcare system to demonstrate how much can be achieved with relatively little investment if prevention is prioritised. The conference, from... Read more

Medical card holders spend significantly more time in hospital

Dara Gantly | 15 September 2009 | Hospital Medicine

Patients with medical cards spend nearly four days longer in hospital than non-card holders, new statistics have revealed. According to the latest Hospital In-Patient Enquiry (HIPE) data for 2007, released today (Tuesday September 15) by the ESRI, in-patient discharges with... Read more

Employees may need two days for vaccine

Gary Culliton | 14 September 2009 | Public Health

Employers need to budget for a worst-case scenario, which would see employees being missing for two days — a day for each shot of the swine flu vaccine, Dr Paul Gueret, the Dean of the Faculty of Occupational Health at... Read more

Obesity conference to address resource issues

Niamh Mullen | 14 September 2009 | Public Health

How the Government should use resources effectively to minimise the economic impact of obesity and its treatment will be discussed at a conference taking place in Dublin this month. The 19th European Childhood Obesity Group meeting will run from September... Read more

Patients cannot shop around for GPs

Niamh Mullen | 14 September 2009 | General Practice

Patients are vulnerable to whatever charges are levied by their GP because they often do not have the option of shopping around for more competitive rates. A report from the Citizens Information Board said GP charges had raised concerns among... Read more

Discharges wait 100 days

Gary Culliton | 11 September 2009 | Hospital Medicine

A total of 89 inpatients whose treatment was completed over 100 days ago have still not been discharged from St James’s Hospital in Dublin, Irish Medical Times has learned. In total, 159 inpatients at St James’s, whose inpatient care is... Read more

Department gets access to HSE files

Dara Gantly | 11 September 2009 | Health Management

The Sectary General of the Department of Health has won a battle with the HSE over gaining access to sensitive health service data before it has been considered by the HSE Board. Michael Scanlan first wrote to HSE CEO Prof... Read more

HSE cannot explain where the money goes in mental health

Terence Cosgrave | 11 September 2009 | News

The Health Service Executive (HSE) cannot explain how its mental health budget is being spent because of major gaps in its financial accounting processes, a new report into mental health finances has found. The report — which was commissioned by... Read more

Record numbers enter Irish Healthcare Awards

11 September 2009 | News

A record number of entries was received for this year’s Irish Healthcare Awards. More than 100 projects were entered – up from 90 in 2008. Each year, the awards have attracted an increasing number of entries from members of the... Read more

College students with asthma urged to heed swine flu guidelines

Gary Culliton | 10 September 2009 | News

Students with asthma returning to college have been urged to pay close attention to the recommendations issued by the HSE and the Asthma Society of Ireland in relation to swine flu and to be vigilant for updates regarding possible vaccination... Read more

Call/recall system forces GPs to cancel smear tests

Niamh Mullen | 10 September 2009 |

GPs say they have been forced to cancel appointments for smear tests because CervicalCheck moved to a call/recall system on September 1. One practice manager told Irish Medical Times she had to cancel 14 appointments for last week that could... Read more

Medical bodies to discuss EWTD

Dara Gantly | 10 September 2009 | Industrial Relations

The IMO is arranging meetings with the RCSI and the ICGP to discuss concerns the organisations may have over the implementation of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD). The talks follow similar meetings with the College of Anaesthetists, the College... Read more

Dr Jerome Manuceau to be struck off UK register

Gary Culliton | 10 September 2009 | Regulation

Surgeon Dr Jerome Manuceau is to be struck off the General Medical Council’s (GMC) Medical Register in Britain. His registration will be suspended immediately and his erasure from the Medical Register will take effect within 28 days, unless he lodges... Read more

Northeast services for reconfiguration

Gary Culliton | 10 September 2009 | Health Management

The HSE has pledged there will be a reduction in average length of stay (ALOS) in hospitals in the northeast and improved discharge planning, as a result of the reconfiguration of services there. Last week, staff at Dundalk, Drogheda and... Read more

Tobacco vendors urged to register

10 September 2009 | Public Health

The Office of Tobacco Control (OTC) has urged all tobacco vendors to register with it before October 1. Under legislation implemented on July 1, retailers who do not register by then will not be legally entitled to continue selling tobacco... Read more

National Eczema Awareness Week launch

10 September 2009 | Public Health

National Eczema Awareness Week begins on September 13 with an open day for sufferers. Hosted by the Irish Eczema Society and supported by skincare brand La Roche-Posay, it takes place from 12 noon to 4pm on Sunday, September 13 at... Read more

Irish Heart Foundation backs salt-reduction plan

Niamh Mullen | 09 September 2009 | Public Health

The Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) has backed a commitment from the Food Safety Authority (FSAI) to reduce salt intake by 2012, saying ‘people in Ireland are eating too much’ of it. Health Promotion Manager, Maureen Mulvihill said: “If salt consumption... Read more

St Vincent’s gets Council approval

Dara Gantly | 09 September 2009 | Planning and Development

Dublin City Council (DCC) has granted permission to St Vincent’s University Hospital to change the plans for an eight-storey in-patient ward building at the Dublin hospital. Permission to change the elevations and an extension to the basement to accommodate a... Read more

Prof Anthony Clare commemorated

Niamh Mullen | 09 September 2009 | News

A garden of commemoration will be officially opened this month for an Irish psychiatrist who is remembered as a man of ‘immense abilities and intelligence’. President Mary McAleese will open the garden in St Edmundsbury Hospital in memory of Prof... Read more

Suicides increase when unemployment rises

Gary Culliton | 09 September 2009 | Research and Education

International evidence suggests that during periods of sharp and sustained increases in unemployment, people out of work are three times more likely to consider suicidal behaviour. Even among people with no record of mental illness, unemployment is still associated with... Read more

No routine tests carried out on swine flu patients

Gary Culliton | 09 September 2009 | Public Health

Routine testing is not currently being carried out on patients presenting with swine flu. However, people with pre-existing ‘at risk’ conditions are all tested, as are people who have flu symptoms and are likely to be admitted to hospital or... Read more

Pulmonary disease research gets major grant

Mary Anne Kenny | 09 September 2009 | Research and Education

Research into pulmonary diseases in Ireland has received a major boost. Dr Seamas Donnelly, a leading authority in pulmonary fibrosis, has been awarded €1.55 million from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) to evaluate novel small molecular weight inhibitors as potential therapies... Read more

Mothers with psychological distress ‘have fatter children’

Greg Baxter | 09 September 2009 | Research and Education

Mothers with serious psychological distress, including low mood and anxiety, were significantly more likely to have children who were overweight or obese, according to new research presented today (September 9).... Read more

RCSI announces programme for clinical research nurses

Greg Baxter | 09 September 2009 | Research and Education

The first ever programme for clinical research nurses was announced by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). The year-long Certificate in Nursing (Clinical Research) will be the first formal education programme for clinical research nurses in Ireland.... Read more

Surgeons meet in Galway

Niamh Mullen | 07 September 2009 | Hospital Medicine

How to provide general surgery in an environment of increased sub-specialisation was among the topics discussed at last weekend’s Sir Peter Freyer Memorial Lecture and Surgical Symposium. The 34th annual conference took place in Galway.... Read more

Irish team returns home from Games

Terence Cosgrave | 07 September 2009 | News

The Irish team were due home this week from the 17th World Transplant Games in Gold Coast, Australia having won 22 medals. The athletes were hailed by Team Manager Colin White as ‘exceptional ambassadors for organ donation and also for... Read more

Strategy needed at national level for hip fracture care

Gary Culliton | 07 September 2009 | Hospital Medicine

A uniform multidisciplinary strategy for patient care must be developed on a national level in order to meet the challenges hip fracture numbers represent, a new study has concluded. This should encompass fragility fracture prevention, hip fracture care pathways, routine... Read more

Migraine Week pushes podcasts

07 September 2009 | News

Migraine Action Week runs from September 2 to 9 and this year’s theme is ‘Heading for a Solution’. As part of the week, podcasts were launched which are designed to help migraine sufferers better manage their condition. The podcasts cover... Read more

Primary Care Centres under consideration

07 September 2009 | General Practice

The HSE has said that approximately 200 new Primary Care Centres are currently under consideration following the initiation of a programme to procure centres, following Chief Executive Prof Brendan Drumm’s announcement that 530 Primary Care Teams will be operational by... Read more

HPAT courses a 'waste of money'

Niamh Mullen | 04 September 2009 | Research and Education

The Australian organis-ation that administers the HPAT (Health Professionals Admissions Test) for entry to medicine in Ireland has said preparation courses run by private ‘grinds’ schools were a waste of money. “ACER does not endorse any training college and actively... Read more

Taxi blood samples age on trip to Cavan

Gary Culliton | 04 September 2009 | General Practice

GPs in the Monaghan area report that they are experiencing a huge increase in the number of bloods saying ‘aged samples’, as bloods are taken by taxi to Cavan. The HSE has admitted that samples taken at a GP surgery... Read more

Alcohol involved in one quarter of Dublin ED attendances

Gary Culliton | 03 September 2009 | Hospital Medicine

One in four patients attending hospital emergency departments in Dublin have alcohol-related diagnoses, and one in eight patients are clinically intoxicated at the time of attendance, a new study shows. The contribution of alcohol to fatal traumatic brain injuries is... Read more

Massive increase in cocaine users treated

Niamh Mullen | 03 September 2009 | Public Health

There has been a massive rise in the number of cocaine users treated for their addiction, a study from the Health Research Board (HRB) has found. Two reports from the HRB on trends in treated cocaine and opiate use between... Read more

HIQA will look at prion test for vCJD

Dara Gantly | 03 September 2009 | Regulation

The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) is to examine the introduction of prion testing and prion filtration to safeguard against the transmission of variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (vCJD) from blood donations. Irish Medical Times has learned that the Chief... Read more

Consultants over private limit in the mid-West

Gary Culliton | 03 September 2009 | Private Healthcare

Private treatment at public hospitals in the mid-West greatly exceeds HSE targets, new figures show. The ratio of private activity at Croom is 55.6 per cent private and St John’s in Limerick it is 51.5 per cent private. The target... Read more

New drug reduces heart attack by 42 per cent

Greg Baxter | 03 September 2009 | Research and Education

A new drug has reduced heart attack by 42 per cent in patients with angina, it was announced at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress. The findings of a large study (BEAUTIFUL), also published in the European Heart Journal,... Read more

Number of suicides in Ireland is declining

Niamh Mullen | 02 September 2009 | News

The number of suicides occurring in Ireland each year continues to decline, hinting at the possibility that actions taken to prevent it are beginning to have an impact. That’s according to the National Office for Suicide Prevention’s (NOSP) annual report... Read more

Consultant ratio of patients seen is 14:1

Gary Culliton | 02 September 2009 | Hospital Medicine

Some HSE consultants treat 14 times more patients than doctors working in the same specialties at other public hospitals, new figures show. Huge variations in patient throughput figures per consultant at hospital outpatients departments (OPDs), are revealed in new HSE... Read more

Mallow gets new primary centre

Niamh Mullen | 02 September 2009 | General Practice

Mallow Primary Health-care Centre (MPHC) is due to open in January 2010 with the creation of 50 new jobs. The E25 million centre comprises three local GP practices, including 17 GPs and eight nurses. In total, 90 people will be... Read more

IHF welcome new stroke risk trial

Greg Baxter | 02 September 2009 | Research and Education

The Irish Heart Foundation has welcomed findings from a pharmaceutical trial that showed a reduction in stroke risk for patients with atrial fibrillation. Data from the RE-LY study was announced this week. Results show that the oral direct thrombin inhibitor,... Read more

More than half of people with depression discontinue meds before course is finished

Gary Culliton | 01 September 2009 | Research and Education

New research has found that over half (56 per cent) of those who have experienced depression discontinued their course of medicine before it was finished. Of those with depression who discontinued their medication, 49 per cent said that their depression... Read more

GPs worried about roles in HSE SOPs

Niamh Mullen | 01 September 2009 | General Practice

GPs in the mid-west are worried they are not trained or insured to carry out roles attributed to them in emergencies and specified in HSE Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). IMO GP Committee member, Dr Mary Gray, who is based in... Read more

Change in repositioning practices could massively reduce bed sores - research

Niamh Mullen | 01 September 2009 | Research and Education

Bed sores in elderly patients could be significantly reduced with a small change in patient repositioning practices, research funded by the Health Research Board (HRB) has found. Zena Moore, a HRB Research Fellow at the Royal College of Surgeons in... Read more

Suicide families blame medical secrecy for risk

Niamh Mullen | 01 September 2009 | Public Health

Psychiatrists have been accused of using doctor-patient confidentiality as an excuse for not giving families information about relatives at risk of suicide. Fine Gael TD and President of the Irish Association of Suicidology, Dan Neville, is urging doctors to ‘advise... Read more

IHCA to meet Minister on outstanding pay issues

Gary Culliton | 01 September 2009 | Industrial Relations

The IHCA is due to hold a meeting with Health Minister Harney and HSE Chief Exeutive Brendan Drumm this month, at which outstanding matters — including the issue of increases scheduled for payment in June 2009 under the Consultants’ Contract,... Read more

Migrant hostels cost €30 million

Niamh Mullen | 01 September 2009 | Public Health

Paying for hostel accommodation for migrant children cost the taxpayer almost €30 million since 2004. To June 2009 €2.9 million was spent. During that period 33 children went missing. Of those, 29 are still missing.... Read more