Department of Health

News, analysis, and features about the Department of Health

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

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

‘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

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

Ireland will need more than 9,000 additional hospital doctors within 20 years

Report says level of Ireland’s recruitment of doctors from overseas may breach its WHO obligations

No ‘suitably qualified’ candidate for chief medical officer position found during interview process

Other key medical posts remains unfilled

Pharmacists dispensing unlicensed medications due to shortages

Exempt medicinal products can be legally supplied under prescription but are not assessed by the Health Products Regulatory Authority

Cancer patients facing delayed diagnoses and lower quality of life due to funding shortfall, says Irish Cancer Society

Society claims cumulative loss of investment in cancer services from 2017 to 2024 is almost €180m

Up to 28,000 babies will be offered RSV vaccine under plans, says Minister for Health

The RSV virus put significant pressure on paediatric hospital services last year

HSE recruitment ban to end soon, Bernard Gloster tells conference

HSE chief executive says he expects movement on issue ‘shortly’

Two-thirds of patients on waiting lists for longer than target time

At the end of last month, there were 705,237 patients on a hospital waiting list

Dublin-based professor Mary Horgan named interim chief medical officer

Medic, who served on served on National Public Health Emergency Team during pandemic, replaces Breda Smyth

With almost 100 regulators, are there too many watchdogs in the State?

Some regulatory bodies believe their underpinning legislation has fallen behind advances and developments in the sectors they oversee

Minister briefed on extra €107m payment to firm building children’s hospital but official not told before PAC appearance

Details of largest additional payment to BAM over delays on State side of project not explained to committee when it heard from development board on Thursday

Health budgets will have to keep pace with demand as population grows and ages, doctors warn

IMO welcomes the substantial increase in hospital bed numbers announced by Government but argues more will be needed

Design of the new health regions lacks accountability, transparency and integrity

Research has identified grounds for concern, including deficiencies in policy process

HSE management and admin appointments outpacing clinical staff hires, says DPER

Numbers in management and administrative grades have grown by a third in recent years, DPER warned Department of Health

Unfilled psychiatric posts leaving young people on ‘unacceptably long waiting lists’

In child and adolescent psychiatry, more than one-third of approved permanent consultant posts either vacant or filled on a temporary basis at end of 2023

Budget-busting HSE continues to make money men bristle despite efforts to rein in spending

Department of Health told it was ‘imperative’ spending remained within allocation – but there was little surprise when it didn’t

Why are new cancer drugs available to private patients but not public patients?

The approval for the public system is a long process, entailing between 20 and 30 steps

Ireland’s two-tier cancer drug system: ‘I can give one drug to one lot of patients, not to another’

Public patients face ‘huge delays’ on cancer drugs, a poorer quality of life and a poorer chance of survival

‘Gaslighting’ of health workers by Robert Watt unacceptable, says union chief

Fórsa’s Kevin Callinan highly critical of comments by Department of Health secretary general

Commitments on delivery of neurorehabilitation teams ‘being impacted by delays’, committee told

Last May, the HSE appeared before the committee and said teams in four Community Healthcare Organisations would be ‘fully functional by early 2024′

The Irish Times view on raising the age limit for tobacco: a reasonable and measured response

Nicotine’s addictiveness means young people are at high risk of developing a habit which can go on to ruin their health

Tobacco sales: Raising legal age to 21 should be ‘stepping stone’ to complete phase-out, charity says

Irish Heart Foundation says decision to increase to 21 the age at which a person can legally be sold tobacco ‘one of the most important public health measures’

More than 699,000 people on some form of hospital waiting list at end of April

Almost 470,000 have had to wait longer than Sláintecare targets of 10 or 12 weeks

INMO members reject proposal on postnatal assessments amid stark divisions on issue

Motion defeated following lengthy debate marked by stark divisions of opinion at INMO conference at Croke Park

Health spending €500 million over budget in first four months of the year, Oireachtas committee hears

Robert Watt says about 75 per cent of budgetary overspend was in acute hospital sector

Key children’s hospital positions not filled permanently as opening date looms

Construction of hospital expected to be completed this year with first patients treated from summer 2025

More than 2,500 workers excluded from healthcare pay deal ‘a breach of trust’

National Community Care Network says failure to grant the workers 8% pay award would mean staff doing the same work for the same organisations were receiving different rates of pay

Coalition leaders to intervene in ‘standoff’ between HSE and department

HSE will not agree to make appointments to many replacement positions until Minister authorizes figure for the total number it can have on the payroll following criticism of recruitment levels for last year

Donnelly contends HSE recruitment controls ‘failed’ as health service waits to be given its numbers

Health chiefs want Minister to set out a top-line figure for staffing this year and believe there should be no vagueness about it

HSE tells suppliers it can ‘no longer sustain’ price increases

HSE officers issues letter saying price increases hitting funds needed for patient care ‘in a growing challenging environment’

Poll analysis: Housing and immigration are making the headlines, but other topics are becoming more prominent

After peaking at 24% in January, mentions of immigration have declined month-on-month, falling to 12% in the latest poll

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