The Intermediate Care Service teams in Roscommon Primary, Community and Continuing Care, HSE West have been awarded certification for continuous improvement, customer focus, use of a systems approach, evidence-based decision making and business excellence.

Professor Cathal Kelly has been appointed as the new chief executive of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), and will take up the post in 2010.

Dr Garrett FitzGerald offers some tips to help you avoid being struck down with swine flu.

Dr Mick Molloy wonders about the future of the unemployed, now that emigration is a less viable option and there seems to be no new industries ready to invest in Ireland {openx:269} It is a very unsettling time in Irish life at present – decent weather and bad economics.

Is the ‘polypill’ really a panacea for cardiovascular disease and should it be routinely prescribed to patients aged over 55 years? Erica Mills examines the issues and asks some experts for their opinions {openx:269} With the recent spate of media attention, one might be forgiven for thinking that the ‘polypill’ will soon be a fact of life for many patients

Dr Jim Crowley, Dr Susan Connolly, Irene Gibson and Neil Johnson outline the thinking behind Croi MyAction — a community-based preventive cardiology programme {openx:269} Despite the decline in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rates over the past two decades, it is the single most common cause of death in Ireland, accounting for 36 per cent of all 2006 deaths.

Dr Neville Wilson writes that a shift to a new treatment paradigm that embraces HDL cholesterol enhancement is necessary in the management of coronary heart disease {openx:269} Coronary heart disease (CHD) remains the leading cause of death in the western world.

The HSE has signed advance purchasing agreements with Baxter Healthcare and GlaxoSmithKline (Ireland) worth E88 million for the supply of human pandemic influenza vaccines.

A lack of knowledge and understanding of the work of general practitioners has been shown by the Health Service Executive during the Transformation Programme.

The National Cancer Screening Service (NCSS) has today (July 29) announced that Cervical Check – the National Cervical Screening Programme – will move to population-based screening model.