Pregnancy is often an anxious time, but in this country, mothers-to-be are offered a number of routine screening tests which can show whether they or their babies are at risk of certain health problems.

The Taoiseach has said holding an investigation into claims by consultants that dead bodies were left decomposing on a mortuary corridor at University Hospital Waterford is not one of his priorities.

University Hospital Waterford has said there is no evidence to substantiate claims made by consultants of poor and dangerous mortuary facilities at the hospital.

A project board has been established to drive the development of a new elective hospital that could ultimately replace the Mercy University Hospital and the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital in Cork.

A baby boy whose mother was found dead in her room at Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) is understood to be in a critical condition.

Hospitals in the south of the country were still awaiting “the promised staffing and resources” needed to provide abortion a day before the service was introduced.

More than €92,000 of credit card expenditure by a State-funded youth service — largely on hotels, restaurants, and entertainment — a €14,000 payment to a consultant for a week on call, and close to €20,000 to a recruitment agency for a doctor already working in the hospital are among a litany of poor financial practices highlighted in HSE audits.

Early in his career, Séamus O’Reilly applied for a post from which the previous incumbent had been fired, after a chemotherapy overdose left one woman dead and another with irreversible heart damage. He didn’t end up in the job but remained interested in how the hospital responded to its mistakes. One key measure was the establishment of Patient Family Advisory Committees. Professor O’Reilly tells Health Correspondent Catherine Shanahan that the time is ripe to consider a similar move here, in light of the CervicalCheck scandal.

The Love Both campaign has hit out at chairperson of the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Dr Peter Boylan as he "does not speak for his profession on abortion".

Four patients, who were asked to return to University Hospital Kerry (UHK) for further radiological investigation as part of a major review of scans, will require additional treatment.

Poor cleaning of reusable bedpans and failure to test water outlets for the bacteria that causes Legionnaire’s Disease were among the multiple infection-control failures that left patients at University Hospital Kerry (UHK) exposed to significant risk.

“It’s no more than the kids deserve,” said Joe Browne, founder of the charity that has single-handedly transformed cystic fibrosis facilities for both children and adults attending Cork University Hospital.

The existing management structure at the country’s newest maternity hospital needs to be replaced and it needs its own CEO and budget to ensure its services are protected.

A charity that raised €2.3m to build a ward designed to make hospital stays less life-threatening for cystic fibrosis patients has been told it is unlikely to open before October, eight months behind schedule.