David Cullinane

Stephen Donnelly casts doubt on National Children’s Hospital completion date

Minister for Health also suggested ‘supplementary budget’ could be needed by the health service this year

Miriam Lord’s political awards for 2023

Gongs go to Timmy Dooley, Mary Robinson, Seán Ó Fearghaíl, Louise O’Reilly, Thomas Pringle, Michael Collins, Mary Lou McDonald and Helen McEntee, but will they be thrilled?

How Sinn Féin is pivoting as it anticipates power in the Republic

State’s main opposition party - consistently topping opinion polls - is tinkering with its stances on tax and foreign policy as it seeks to present itself as a party of Government

No way of recording ‘warnings’ issued to protesters outside abortion clinics, Committee told

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly says it would not be appropriate for him to be involved in regulating Garda operational matters

‘Savings and efficiencies’ needed in health budget, senior officials acknowledge

Robert Watt, secretary general of the Department of Health, says productivity gains are needed in health service

Drip-feeding funding: The politics of not budgeting for runaway health spending

Tensions have bubbled up inside - and outside - Government and among senior civil servants in the fallout from a new budget that did not budget for massive health spending overruns

Stephen Donnelly promises ‘in-depth report’ on future costs of healthcare after budget row

HSE chief said last week the health allocation was ‘not adequate for all current costs’

No plans to reopen health service budget allocations, says Donohoe

Budget allocation will have ‘catastrophic implications’ for patients and those who work on the front line of health service, says Sinn Féin

Gerry Adams at 75: What role now for Sinn Féin’s former president?

A ‘man about the parish’ or ‘extremely active’ - party members weigh up the part currently played by the former politician

We ‘will in our arse’ have an Irish NHS

An ‘Irish NHS’ is an oft-repeated pledge from Sinn Féin. But is it a threat or a promise?

Treatment abroad must be re-introduced for children awaiting spinal surgery, says SF health spokesman

David Cullinane says it is ‘infuriating’ for waiting families that capacity has now been reduced due to crisis

Temple Street: Publish full details from scoliosis surgery reports immediately, legal adviser says

Minister says children were failed at the hospital and it should never happen again

Contacts between scoliosis patients and doctors to be managed differently

Operational change on way after Ombudsman for Children highlights teenager’s five-year wait for surgery

Children’s spinal surgery may be outsourced abroad as waiting list doubles

Children’s Health Ireland apologises to children and their families as new figures show waiting lists approaching five-year high

Inside Sinn Féin: Who really makes the big decisions in Ireland’s most popular party?

Unelected people are prominent and important in the leadership and decision-making processes of Sinn Féin

Opposition parties call on Coalition to reveal new finish date for children’s hospital

Government figures remain tight-lipped as board mulls over new programme of work for national children’s hospital

New children’s hospital board says design changes not to blame for costly delays

Documents also reveal that more than 300 doors in the hospital may have to be replaced or demolished

Stephen Donnelly says ‘nobody right now’ knows final cost of national children’s hospital

Minister for Health accuses Sinn Féin of ‘playing politics’, saying providing estimated cost could open State to further claims

Almost 1,000 hospital consultant posts not filled, with some vacant for years, figures show

Over one-fifth of all posts had no permanent incumbent last month, a significant increase on 2021

HSE on course for a €1.6bn deficit this year

Board members warned that this figure could change as the year goes on

Children’s Hospital insists works on 11 operating theatres ‘minor’ and will not delay opening

Main contractor BAM told last month to stop works in theatres as mediation works could be needed in ceilings

Children’s hospital lead contractor told to stop key works on half of facility’s operating theatres

Claims that fresh NCH setback could cost tens of millions to address, while Department of Health downplays development

Government not putting review of abortion law on ‘long finger’, Dáil told

Immediate priority must be to expand availability of termination in hospitals and tackling ‘uneven geographic spread’ of GPs providing services, Tánaiste says

Health service stubbornly resistant to change, cancellation figures underline

Flaw in Minister for Health’s thinking is to believe the system can be improved without comprehensive reform or upsetting vested interests

More than 85,000 hospital appointments or procedures cancelled so far this year

Cancellations in April up almost 70% on the same month last year, new figures show

At least 50,000 children missing out on dental checks due to staff shortages

More than 2,000 children have been waiting for orthodontic treatment for over four years

Oireachtas committee to seek further hearings on botched Tony Holohan appointment after fractious Watt session

Oireachtas committee members were ‘shocked’ after a fractious session with Department of Health secretary general Robert Watt

Covid payment given to 50,000 more frontline staff than expected

About €208m paid to 142,000 staff but small number still to receive payment, says Minister

Robert Watt rejects ‘most’ of Holohan report findings and reveals laptop ‘hack’

Account given by Deirdre Gillane in report about secondment controversy was ‘correct’ version of events, says Minister for Health

Hospital bed occupancy for January and February exceeded best-practice limit, HSE says

Hospital bed occupancy for January and February exceeded best-practice limit, HSE says

Sinn Féin reshuffle deals blow to Martin Kenny’s hopes of justice portfolio

Mary Lou McDonald shakes up front bench in readiness for election, with Pa Daly appointed spokesman on justice

Life expectancy in Ireland making strongest gains in western Europe, committee hears

Incoming HSE chief Bernard Gloster emphasises ‘significant improvement’ in mortality rates from heart attacks, strokes and cancers

Ban on evictions needs to balance rights of landlords and tenants, Varadkar says

Expectation is that three Coalition leaders will agree on Monday evening to extend ban in some form

Seriously ill patients forced to wait extra nine minutes for ambulance as staff shortages bite

Sinn Féin claims Government has ‘chosen’ not to fund service, leading to staff burnout and patient risk

Miriam Lord’s Week: Hallucinatory scenes give way to realpolitik in the Dáil

Drug talk and a pirate appearance soon overtaken by Soc Dems co-leaders’ exit announcement

Hospitals to experience ‘extreme’ pressure for a number of years, says HSE

Health service chief Stephen Mulvany rejects ‘failure of leadership’ claims over trolley crisis

‘Surprise’ road tolls hike sparks condemnation

Increase announcement is ‘very unwelcome’ says Varadkar

Almost 25% of acute hospital beds funded over past two years not delivered

No additional beds are planned by HSE as part of this year’s winter plan

‘I would have been better off in prison,’ says 86 year old woman who spent 30 hours waiting for hospital admission

New figures released by the HSE show that three hospitals in Cork and Limerick have the longest waiting times

Pandemic had ‘horrendous’ impact on efforts to cut waiting lists, says Reid

Long waiting lists the result of ‘legacy issues’ and will not be solved within one year

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