An immobile nursing-home resident was left unattended on a toilet for hours. Staff heard the resident banging on a radiator to summon help, according to a complaint received by the State health watchdog, the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa).

A leading action group for the elderly has warned that rerouting money away from surgeries like hip replacements and cataracts to more serious, life-threatening conditions would “turn back the clock” on healthcare reform.