HSE officials cannot justify paying millions of euro for expert legal defences during patient lawsuits while claiming it cannot provide adequate elderly home help care because of a lack of money.

THE outgoing chair of the HSE South’s regional health forum has lambasted managers for their continued use of expensive agency workers and the controversial recruitment embargo to cut costs.

THE future of one of the country’s largest health boards has been thrown into turmoil after members refused to adopt its budget in protest over plans to drop politicians from such bodies.