There were 520 patients on trolleys awaiting a bed yesterday, with Cork University Hospital recording the highest number in the country at 54.

A long-awaited Government report into “barbaric” operations on thousands of pregnant women between the 1940s and 1984 will recommend at least €34m in State payouts to victims when it is published today.

A report by the health watchdog has called for the establishment of an independent national organisation to oversee patient safety — at odds with the Government’s plan for an in-house agency.

Many parents whose babies died or suffered catastrophic injuries at birth in the maternity unit at the Midland Regional Hospital in Portlaoise are still waiting to have their cases resolved.

Over 360 applications have been made to the Government’s symphysiotomy redress scheme, despite it being sharply criticised by national and international human rights bodies.

Proposals in the symphysiotomy redress scheme requiring victims accepting a payment to “indemnify and hold harmless” those responsible have been sharply criticised.

Symphysiotomy survivors have urged the Government to lift the scheme’s "punitive" 20-day time limit to join up.

Victims of symphysiotomy to receive up to €150k compensation

Patient Focus, which provides support to up to 200 women who underwent symphysiotomies, has welcomed assurances from Health Minister Leo Varadkar that the Government will start paying redress by the end of the year.

The terms of reference for the inquiry into the handling of the care of the woman at the centre of the latest abortion debate have been published.

A patient support group was inundated with calls from heartbroken parents about their experiences at maternity hospitals across the country after an RTÉ documentary on the deaths of four babies in six years at the Midlands Hospital, Portlaoise, was screened.

Patient Focus is calling for an independent inquiry into the deaths of four newborn babies at the Midland Regional Hospital in Portlaoise.

The HSE has apologised “unequivocally” for “serious shortcomings” in the deaths of four babies in six years at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Portlaoise.

Patients of former obstetrician Michael Neary who had their ovaries removed unnecessarily can apply to be considered under a new redress scheme from today.

The Government’s offer to establish a mediation process overseen by a judge to determine what women who underwent symphysiotomies want has received a mixed response from those representing the victims.

The Minister for Health, James Reilly, will meet with survivors of symphysiotomy at his Department this afternoon.

A campaign group has called for compensation of between €250,000 and €450,000 for women injured as a result of their pelvises being broken in “barbaric” surgical procedures during childbirth.

Women left out of a redress scheme for former patients of disgraced surgeon Michael Neary have urged Health Minister James Reilly to keep his promise that he would look after them.

Patient Focus will today call on Health minister James Reilly to fulfil a promise made to 35 women who were left out of a redress scheme for former patients of doctor Michael Neary at the Lourdes Hospital.

A patient advocacy group vocal in its criticism of health service failures, has had its funding pulled by the HSE.

The author of an ongoing report into symphysiotomy has said it is “very disappointing” that a group representing survivors of the procedure has opted not to take part in a consultation process.

A woman whose womb was needlessly removed by disgraced obstetrician Michael Neary said today that her fight for justice was almost over.

A HIGH-POWERED team has been appointed by the state’s health protection watchdog to probe the safety of the country’s busiest hospital for patients needing acute admission.

A CAMPAIGN to secure justice for 35 female victims of disgraced obstetrician Michael Neary has been backed by cross-party TDs.

A mother-of-two who underwent early menopause when her ovaries were removed by struck-off doctor Michael Neary has pleaded with the State to acknowledge her case.

Patients will be guaranteed to be seen by a senior doctor within an hour of arriving in hospital under radical new proposals to be adopted by the HSE.

A SURVEY has found more than half the population feels too intimidated to complain about the quality of healthcare – yet the number of patient complaints received by the Health Service Executive last year rose by 63%.

A leading patient support group in Ireland today questioned a review of all recorded cases of misdiagnosed miscarriage in the country over the last five years.

THERE may be up to 8,000 deaths every year as a result of medical negligence and medical accidents in Irish hospitals, a major conference on clinical and medical negligence heard yesterday.

DOCTORS should undertake communication refresher courses and be able to access industry standard guidebooks to appropriate language when dealing with the ill, a patients’ group said yesterday.

THE NURSE who tried to bring complaints about Drogheda consultant Michael Shine to the attention of the authorities was warned she would lose her home and reputation if she persisted with her action.

THE support group for victims of Michael Neary has been overwhelmed with calls after the broadcast of the first part of a dramatisation of the scandal created by his work.

THE appalling, barbaric story of disgraced former doctor Michael Neary is well known.

A REVIEW into cancer services at University College Hospital Galway has revealed a locum pathologist made mistakes in cancer checks of 50 patients.

DECISIVE new guidelines have been issued to doctors and nurses on the care of patients receiving fertility treatment following an inquiry into the death of a young woman after a reaction to IVF treatment.

The number of patients infected with the potentially lethal hospital superbug MRSA fell slightly last year, new figures revealed today.

The group representing the interest of Irish patients has warned that the possibility of another Michael Neary type scandal occurring in the health care system remains.

A disgraced obstetrician who needlessly removed the wombs of expectant mothers performed unnecessary surgery on 39 more women, it emerged today.

THE group representing former patients of disgraced obstetrician Dr Michael Neary has requested an extension of the government’s redress scheme to all women on whom he performed unwarranted medical procedures.

TWO consultant obstetricians have won a High Court order overturning as “unlawful” findings of professional misconduct against them by the Medical Council over their 1998 reports about the obstetric practice of Dr Michael Neary at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.

ABOUT 150 applications for compensation by women damaged by disgraced obstetrician Dr Michael Neary have been made to the state’s redress scheme through support group Patient Focus.

A report into how disgraced obstetrician Michael Neary treated 62 of his patients may be handed over to the Gardaí, according to the Patient Focus group.

A NUMBER of victims of disgraced obstetrician Dr Michael Neary who received short notice of a compensation scheme may miss the August deadline to apply, a group representing them has warned.

Victims of disgraced obstetrician Michael Neary will meet Minister for Health Mary Harney today to discuss a multi-million euro compensation scheme.