Health Bill amendment rushed through

RUSHED legislation has gone through the Dáil to close a loophole restricting how mentally ill patients can be brought into care.

Junior Health Minister John Moloney said a High Court decision in May had exposed that existing practices to bring unwilling patients into hospital were illegal. This arose because Nationwide Healthcare Solutions Ltd had escorted a woman to St Ita’s Hospital in Portrane when the law stipulated only staff of the ward were entitled to do so.

However, an ongoing industrial relations and safety dispute has prevented this from happening and private contractors were employed.