Guest posts

The recent Budget has highlighted the extent to which headlines, rather than public need, can direct public and legislative policy.

One of the joys of motherhood is the early-morning start to my day, though this can be a bit earlier than actually necessary which means that I get to watch quite a bit of breakfast TV.

All they want for Christmas is an intern job.

Christmas is rapidly approaching, and with it comes worsening weather, queues, traffic, and stress levels.

The Christmas I will never forget and which is burned into my memory is the one I spent in my very first job after I qualified.

The re-election of Dr John Hillery for another term as president of the Medical Council could suggest that there may be an increasing recognition among doctors that a more robust and resilient regulatory regime is both necessary and inevitable.

It has certainly been an interesting couple of weeks for those of us in the medical profession with an interest in the large (and growing) public versus private healthcare divide.

The furore rages on.

The news that Gardai in Waterford have sent a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions, arising from an investigation of a complaint by a local doctor whose husband died after contracting MRSA, apparently at the city’s regional hospital, is sure to raise questions about whether the MRSA risk management strategies go far enough.

The debate on nursing homes, and Leas Cross in particular, looks like it will run for some time.