An 83-year-old woman, who was kicked twice in the legs and several times pushed forcefully back into her chair while being fed by a health carer at Beaumont Hospital, has been awarded €25,000 damages in the Circuit Civil Court.

A male nurse who contacted a female patient on Whatsapp and Facebook was today found guilty of professional misconduct.

The country’s largest nursing union has warned companies with agency nurses that they have no right to impose the terms of the Haddington Road Agreement on those nurses.