‘It’s kind of become our daughter’s cheat meal’: The view on new hot school meals programme
The scheme now covers nearly 2,200 schools, and 345,000 children, but some parents and teachers have concerns about nutritional standards
Department of Health
News, analysis, and features about the Department of Health
Only certain ministerial job appointments so far are the five Independent TDs
Speculation intensifying six days ahead of formal appointment of new Cabinet next Wednesday
Young Scientist exhibition winners: Three Kerry sisters develop app to improve emergency response
Ciara, Saoirse and Laoise Murphy develop ACT app to improve responsiveness to emergencies at community level
HRT scheme roll-out to proceed ‘as soon as possible’, department says
State-funded scheme to provide hormone replacement therapy has been delayed due to issues between Department of Health and pharmacists
Public-only consultant contracts: is the health system finally beginning to see some benefits?
Much staff opposition has fallen away and uptake is higher than had been predicted, though it seems clear the outgoing Minister is not content with the pace of change
Hot school meals scheme: ‘We are institutionalising consumption of ultra-processed food in our children’
Q&A with food analyst Ruth Hegarty: ‘There is a nutrition standard for hot school meals provided by the Government, but there is no oversight of this’
Talks resume between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael on new government
Parties report steady progress but difficult areas yet to be discussed
Children’s hospital and building contractor agree plan to complete project by June
New national children's hospital was due to be completed in 2020 but has been beset by cost over-runs, delays and a long-running dispute with contractor BAM
Medically prescribed cannabis seized and UK-based woman and son ‘interrogated’ at Dublin Airport
Dolores Pickering, an Irish national living in the UK, says Christmas ‘absolutely ruined’ after she and her son - who has been prescribed cannabis for chronic anxiety - are questioned
The year of hope: ‘Exciting’ advances achieved in search to reverse Alzheimer’s disease
Merits of simple lifestyle changes to curb risk of dementia have never been so compelling
Ireland’s ageing population to put major strain on public finances in coming decades
Pensions, healthcare and long-term care costs expected to rise sharply, says Department of Finance report
Irish health system report card: a year of criticisms, concerns and innovations
From rows about staffing, waiting lists and cost overruns to resignations of senior staff, heathcare was never far from the news headlines in 2024
Stephen Donnelly sought advice on whether State could take over children’s hospitals in Dublin
Legal advice was that such intervention could only take place if independent review identified serious governance or other failings
We can’t build our way out of the capacity issues in the health service
We must stop viewing health as ‘a cost to be managed’ and instead understand it as ‘an investment to be made’
Dublin City Council ‘excrement’ on shoes of government officials, FG councillor claims
HSE has ‘completely disrespected’ Dublin Fire Brigade ambulance service, council chief Richard Shakespeare says
‘There has to be a shorter, more compassionate way,’ says woman who considered taking medical negligence case after husband’s death
Doctors, patients and family members are all suffering due to the lengthy and expensive management of clinical negligence claims
Ireland set to approve its first full Ambassador from Palestine
Cabinet also expected to approve new AI strategy and will hear of reduction in waiting times to see consultant
Ireland could agree new deal with Kenya allowing for recruitment of more nurses and midwives
Stephen Donnelly says the deal will be ethical and in line with WHO and OECD guidelines
Sinn Féin proposing free prescriptions for all if elected to Government
Election 2024: Sinn Féin to launch new healthcare policy as it fights to regain momentum
Donnelly says extra €50m needed for clinical negligence cases due to increased claims and settlements
Minister says total allocation to the State Claims Agency for clinical negligence will be €485m
Free HRT to be available from next January under Cabinet plans
Move could save women between €360 and €840 a year based on current monthly payments, says Donnelly
Plans for €434m in health savings revised after new Government funding plan agreed during summer
Department of Health says that target is reset to €368m
More than two-thirds of patients on hospital waiting lists for longer than target time
Over 706,000 on waiting lists at end of September, says National Treatment Purchase Fund
National children’s hospital: Board tells politicians project is a ‘hostage’ in the €2.2bn controversy
National Paediatric Hospital Development Board said it could not give ‘assurance’ on June 2025 completion date
Donnelly criticises Children’s Health Ireland board over delays in seeking new chief
Failure to set substantial completion date for new national children’s hospital a significant risk to commissioning programme for the project, CHI chairman says
Flippin’ ‘learnings’, they turn up like a bad penny whenever another billion is flushed down the pan
When under attack for the Children’s Hospital fiasco, Paschal Donohoe takes flak for Simon Harris - who is in New York - and pulls the word ‘learnings’ from the first aid box
Mental health funding ‘piecemeal, inadequate and short-sighted’, charities say
Persistent underfunding is having a long-term impact on the mental health system, says Mental Health Reform interim chief executive Philip Watt
What’s so tricky about the proposal to give free contraception to 16-year-olds?
Give Me a Crash Course in ...
Aoife Johnston report: Death of girl (16) at UHL was in circumstances ‘almost certainly avoidable’, investigation finds
Johnston (16) died of meningitis after she was left for more than 13 hours at UHL without ‘vital’ antibiotic treatment, report finds
Increasing health budget every year not sustainable, Robert Watt to tell Oireachtas committee
HSE chief Gloster expected to say demand for services increasing at faster rate than predicted before pandemic
Safe zones surrounding centres providing abortion services to come into operation next month
Protests within 100m of hospitals and other facilities offering pregnancy terminations will be prohibited from mid-October
Charity-run GP clinic says it faces closure unless recent taxation laws amended
Legislation created ‘insurmountable operational challenges’ at Dublin 1 practice
Psychiatric nurses to take industrial action after latest talks fail
Industrial action due to begin on September 17th
Former Ryanair executive to be appointed to HSE board
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly seeks to improve productivity in the service
A menstrual cup can cost as little as €12 and last up to a decade
Trying out a new product can feel like extra hassle you don’t need at that time of the month, but the savings are compelling
Vaping firm used financial incentives for consultation submissions, Government told
The public consultation looked at potential additional measures to decrease the appeal of nicotine-inhaling products to young people
Call for more support for rural GPs to meet needs of ageing clients amid doctor shortage
New GPs tend to work in larger towns and cities, Irish College for GPs says
HSE directed to suppress senior post to compensate for role created for children’s hospital ex-chief
Reassignment of former CHI chief Eilísh Hardiman to new position as strategic programme director in April followed ‘mediation process’, documents indicate
‘Sufficient’ supplies of mpox vaccine for State to counter risk deemed low by health officials
WHO upgraded the disease to ‘public health emergency of international concern’ this week
The Irish Times view on pharmacist prescriptions: a move in the right direction
With rising pressure on GP resources, the initiative should help to address an increasing bottleneck
Pharmacists to prescribe prescription-only medications for common conditions under new scheme
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly intends to have scheme in place by ‘early next year’
Donohoe defends Coalition’s record as it breaks spending rule again
Government will make additional €1.2bn available for health service despite almost 10% cost overrun so far this year
Waiting lists for community healthcare up 50% in five years to more than 230,000
HSE cites significant challenges encountered ‘for many service areas’ as a consequence of Covid-19 pandemic
Homecare waiting lists worsening in rural areas, sector representatives say
Despite progress in Dublin, needs in other regions not being met by State, Home and Community Care Ireland claims as it launches pre-budget submission
Children with scoliosis to receive spinal surgeries abroad under Department of Health plans
It is understood accommodation and flights for those travelling for surgeries will be paid for by State
Stephen Donnelly’s inner management consultant has not gone away, but there is a canny politician lurking in there too
Minister for Health’s latest waiting list initiative seeks to shift focus to lazy consultants
Minister wants more urgency from HSE in extending opening hours of injury units
Donnelly says facilities should be in operation from 8am to 8pm daily
Nearly 712,000 people now on some form of hospital waiting list
Department of Health says waiting list numbers at end of June exceeded target
‘This isn’t working. We have to shout stop’: Inspector of mental health services says standards not being met
Prof Jim Lucey says he is disappointed that ‘the highest level of noncompliance ever’ was found last year by the Mental Health Commission
Calorie labels on online fast food menus seen as means to reduce future pressures on health service
Department of Health research unit also recommends increasing hospital activity by changing the default to day case rather than inpatient treatment
Groundbreaking legislation to regulate surrogacy and fertility clinics passed almost 20 years after first mooted
Bill will license and regulate fertility clinics for the first time and allow for domestic and international surrogacy
Woman taking anti-epilepsy drug was never fully advised of the risks of it during pregnancy
All her children have been diagnosed with fetal valproate syndrome, a rare congenital disorder caused by their exposure to valproic acid
Donnelly calls for redress scheme if inquiry into use of Epilim finds ‘systemic issues’
Valproate-containing medicines can cause birth defects and developmental disorders in children whose mothers take them during pregnancy
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