The Department of Health (DoH) is seeking to determine the baseline deterioration practices in acute paediatric hospital settings in Ireland ahead of a phased national roll-out beginning in September of a national Paediatric Early Warning System (PEWS)/ scoring practices

Owing to budget cuts, Cappagh Hospital was very restricted last year and, at one point, only two of the seven theatres were open, the Minister for Health has said.

The Crumlin Hospital/UCD team that won the Nursing Project of the Year in 2014 for its research into wound care for paediatric skin-grafts has seen interest in its new protocol from Boston, Seattle, Australia and Germany, reports Gary Culliton.

The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) has directly communicated with the marketing authorisation holders of 32 products with a view to determining interest in the submission of reclassification applications and possible timelines for this process.

Beaumont Hospital has said it is unable to use evidence-based specialised dietetic services such as the ketogenic diet, utilised internationally as a treatment for patients with epilepsy, owing to manpower inadequacies.

Pharmacists are lobbying for the introduction of a nationwide DUMP (Disposal of Unused Medicines Safely) scheme to encourage the public to dispose of unused or out-of-date medicines safely, an initiative they say can help reduce the risk of suicide, deliberate self-harm and accidental poisoning in children.

The Department of Health has said it will be consulting widely on the best way to get the planned patient advocacy service up and running within the time frame set by HIQA.

Two critical areas have been escalated to the HSE Director General Tony O’Brien.

A further €15 million in funding has been allocated for the redevelopment of the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) in Rochestown Avenue, which will enable the hospital and the HSE to proceed with a new 120-bed building on the Dun Laoghaire campus.

The ED Taskforce transitional care beds target — of 1,513 transitional care beds provided to 37 acute hospitals in the first quarter — has meant all of these patients have now either moved to Nursing Home Support Scheme (NHSS) funding arrangements or gone home, following a period of convalescence.