Almost half of the children on hospital trolleys yesterday were waiting more than nine hours for a bed, it has emerged.

An inspection of Nenagh Hospital in Co. Tipperary has found that infection prevention at the hospital is significantly under-resourced.

Inspections of a number of hospitals have found under-reporting of medication ‘near misses’ and incidents.

A 25-hour wait by a 101-year-old Co Clare grandmother on a trolley at the emergency department at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) has been described as "inhumane, deplorable, and disgraceful".

University Hospital Limerick has said it is transferring patients to hospitals in Clare and Tipperary because of a spike in patients attending the Emergency Department.

Health Minister Leo Varadkar has said that up to 200 additional community beds will be opened and staffed by the middle of the month to deal with hospital overcrowding.

As hospitals brace themselves for industrial action, the country’s largest nursing union has called on the public to join in a major protest outside the Dáil today to highlight emergency department (ED) overcrowding.

More than 13,000 scheduled operations were cancelled by hospitals during the first eight months of this year for reasons including staffing issues and bed shortages, the HSE has confirmed.

Increased spending on agency staff and the provision of 41 extra acute beds in Limerick hospitals have been cited as some of the main factors contributing to a €18.5m overspend in a Mid-West group of hospitals.

Nenagh Hospital has been ordered to clean up its act within weeks after inspectors found dirty sinks, soiled toilets and unclean floors posing a risk to patients.

A hospital has been ordered to clean up its act within weeks after inspectors found dirty sinks, soiled toilets and unclean floors posing a risk to patients.

Junior doctors came off gruelling shifts to walk the picket lines outside hospitals across Ireland yesterday.

North Tipperary heart attack victims and other urgent cases face travelling to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick instead of the nearer Nenagh Hospital from Sep 17.

LET’S get the disclaimer dodge out of the way first: the Health Service Executive is responsible for the plight of children awaiting assessment by community care and child protection social workers.

SPENDING cuts and staff embargoes have forced Nenagh General Hospital in Co Tipperary to close its elderly care unit over Christmas and the new year, said Labour’s Senator Alan Kelly.

A SIX year-old girl died last night after being accidentally struck on the head with a golf club by her young cousin.

HOSPITAL campaign groups around the country have reacted with concern to the health authorities’ decision to confine cancer services to just eight centres.

MEDICINE graduates have problems dealing with simple clinical problems, because the education system is too focused on rote learning rather than getting students to “use their brains”, two leading doctors have warned.

Smaller hospitals are more efficient and cost-effective, according to a group campaigning against the possible downgrading of Nenagh Hospital in Co Tipperary.

BERTIE AHERN reflected in an interview with this paper that a major speech he gave on 1916 in UCD had been smothered by the media.

THERE have been 29 outbreaks of the winter vomiting bug reported to the country’s public health watchdog since October.

Nenagh General Hospital in Co Tipperary has suspended all admissions following an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug.

Two people have been killed following separate accidents on Ireland’s roads, gardai said today.

GARDAÍ are hunting for the driver of a car who fled the scene after knocking down and fatally injuring a pedestrian.

A garda who lost the use of his legs in a motorcycle accident today called for compulsory training to be introduced for bikers.

WELL, if Arnie can become Governor of California, there’s no reason why Groucho Marx can’t be elevated to the Cabinet.

A SECOND minister has challenged Mícheál Martin’s hospital reform proposals by intervening in plans to downgrade Louth County Hospital.

HEALTH Minister Micheál Martin has denied sanctioning new posts at Nenagh Hospital as a ploy to appease the public in the run-up to the local elections.

FIANNA FÁIL TD Máire Hoctor last night welcomed the commitment by Health Minister Micheál Martin to providing 24-hour cover for Nenagh Hospital in Co Tipperary, through the introduction of the Hanly Report.

An estimated 15,000 people have joined a demonstration in Nenagh, Co Tipperary to protest against the proposals contained in the Hanley Report on health reform.

A major rally has been organised in Co Tipperary today in protest at the Hanly report, which is the basis of the Government's proposed reform of the Health Service.

NENAGH residents are planning a street rally next Saturday to protest against the Hanly report on the health services.

POLITICALLY, it was refreshing to see Taoiseach Bertie Ahern get off the fence and confront Fianna Fáil deputies who oppose the Hanly Report on reform of the health service.

The Minister for Defence issued an apology to the Taoiseach last night for publicly objecting to proposals put forward in the Hanly Report on the healthcare system.

Minister for the Environment Martin Cullen yesterday defended the imposition of local authority levies as something that has been in place since 1964.

Independent TD Michael Lowry has accused officials at Nenagh General Hospital of covering up the problem of overcrowding during the Taoiseach’s visit yesterday.