The Consumer and Competition Protection Commission (CCPC) is closely watching plans by the NAGP to facilitate the formation by GPs of a new national network of eight co-operatives, in the event they contravene competition law, IMT can reveal.

HIQA will shortly publish a national overview report on unannounced inspections of hospitals to gauge compliance with nutrition and hydration guidelines, IMT reports.

The Irish Cancer Society (ICS) is encouraging women to be aware of how to reduce their risk of cervical cancer, as the Society marks the start of European Cervical Cancer Prevention Week 2016.

A review of the GP out-of-hours service is under way and is due to conclude in 2016.

HIQA is set to commence rolling-out from early this year Ireland’s first ever national patient experience survey, which will serve as a barometer of quality and safety, and is expected to further boost quality and safety and the experience of those using services.

Moves to extend the remit of the Office of the Ombudsman to clinical cases have been backed by the Joint Oireachtas Health Committee, which believes that ideally, there should be a single streamlined pathway for complaints in the health service.

In the first 20 days of 2016 there were 64,952 attendances across all emergency departments (EDs) — up 5,415 on 2015 figures.

Tallaght Hospital plans to undertake four more surveys with different questions this year in its X-Ray Department, Emergency Department, Paediatric Inpatients and Paediatric Outpatients.

NAGP Vice-President Dr Emmet Kerin is expected to become the second President of the representative body for general practitioners, taking over from founding President Dr Conor McGee, at the Association’s AGM this Saturday (January 30), IMT reports.

There is a new assessment approach so that those entitled get their Medical Card or GP Visit Card in a timely and sensitive manner, Gary Culliton reports.