Dara Gantly on why Christmas is the perfect time to end bullying of trainees.

The Master of the National Maternity Hospital (NMH), Holles Street, fears the country will be unable to seriously address the European Working Time Directive issue without a significant expansion of consultant numbers.

Funding cuts have made it increasingly difficult for the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) to meet increased demands for services from medical card holders, with many clients on low incomes facing significant delays in accessing services.

A new critical-care ambulance service to transfer seriously ill children between hospitals was launched this week.

Vascular Surgery has become the fourth area of medical expertise to be recognised by the Medical Council as a medical specialty in 2014, and only the fourth to be recognised since 2008.

The total additional funding being sought by the HSE for 2014 is €680 million, according to supplementary budget figures.

Opposition Health spokesperson Deputy Billy Kelleher has called for clarity from the HSE on the practice of so-called ‘tandem burials’ that took place up to the 1980s.

The Department of Health is to provide the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) surplus of €1 million to reduce increasing endoscopy waiting lists, IMT has learned.

The Director General of the HSE has urged all HSE staff to blow the whistle “without fear or favour” on any instances of misconduct, disrespect, or abuse they witness towards residents, clients, patients or service users.

The HSE has secured additional funding of €1 million to implement its new national policy on the protection of vulnerable people from abuse.