A traumatised mother told yesterday of how she had to drive more than 110km to a Cork hospital with her injured son after he had been left unattended for three hours at an emergency department in Kerry.

A shortage of nurses in a 300-bed, acute hospital has reached "crisis point" largely because of the recruitment ban, it has been claimed.

Alleged assaults on staff are continuing at a hospital’s mental health unit, with 11 incidents in June, the Psychiatric Nurses’ Association (PNA) have claimed.

The Health and Safety Authority has been asked to inspect a hospital’s psychiatric unit where six nurses have been allegedly assaulted in the last fortnight.

A shortage of beds was directly responsible for the cancellation of more than 170 operations at Kerry General Hospital (KGH) between 2010 and 2012.

The security bill for Kerry General Hospital for the first nine months of 2012 was almost 10 times the cost of security services at Cork University Hospital.

A 14-year campaign for long-term, residential facilities for the elderly in the Kerry capital ended yesterday when 43 people started moving into the Tralee Community Nursing Unit.

Kerry General Hospital in Tralee will open the doors to its new Emergency Department this morning.

THE retention of key services in Kerry General Hospital (KGH), Tralee, has been welcomed by Jimmy Deenihan TD.

A RADICAL overhaul of hospital services in Cork and Kerry which will reduce the number of round-the-clock emergency departments (EDs) to one per county is expected to be completed in just over three years.

PLANS to reconfigure cancer services under the direction of cancer ‘tzar’ Prof Tom Keane have angered a number of hospital consultants, among them cancer specialists.

THE Health Service Executive (HSE) is to be asked to comment on claims that it is planning to temporarily close the theatre and outpatients services at Bantry General Hospital as part of a cost-cutting plan.

I READ with some interest your report headlined ‘Tralee waiting lists completely unacceptable’ (December 3).

TWO consultants have defended the care of an elderly woman who survived after being knocked down by a car only to die in hospital from complications several weeks later.

SOME people on waiting lists for appointments at Kerry General Hospital (KGH), Tralee, could be dead before they are called to see a consultant, it was claimed yesterday.

THE controversial transfer of breast cancer services from Kerry General Hospital (KGH), in Tralee, to Cork University Hospital (CUH) takes effect from today, the HSE confirmed.

A ROW between more than 200 student nurses and Health Service Executive (HSE) management arising from the withdrawal of free parking at Kerry General Hospital (KGH), in Tralee, is deadlocked.

KERRY cancer patients who have to travel to Cork University Hospital (CUH) for surgery and treatment are to be given assistance with transport costs.

A LOCUM consultant will be employed at the A&E department in Kerry General Hospital (KGH), Tralee, for some time to come, it emerged yesterday.

THE Health Service Executive has confirmed it spent €629,000 refurbishing a hospital ward which has closed temporarily due to staffing shortages.

WORK is underway to improve hygiene standards at Kerry General Hospital (KGH), Tralee, according to the Health Service Executive (HSE).

THE Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) has been unable to establish how a woman who received three blood transfusions subsequently developed hepatitis C.

FIVE years after a review of staff numbers was carried out at Kerry General Hospital (KGH) at a cost of more than €12,000 to the taxpayer, a second audit is to take place.

A SHORTAGE of nurses has created a “very serious” situation at Kerry General Hospital (KGH) in Tralee, a union representative warned yesterday.

A TRADE union official last night stood over his claim that the Health Services Executive (HSE), southern area, was flouting the law by allowing smoking in a hospital unit for which it is responsible.

A HOSPITAL which yesterday admitted retaining the foetuses of 11 women denied any tests were carried out on the babies’ remains.

A Kerry hospital apologised tonight to seven women whose miscarried foetuses were retained for up to four years without their knowledge.