Jobs cap may hamper improvement of cardiac services

Crumlin Children's Hospital in Dublin has warned that the Government's cap on health service employment levels could affect plans to improve children's cardiac surgery services.

The plans were drawn up following the death of two-year-old Róisín Ruddle two days after her planned heart operation at the hospital was cancelled due to a shortage of specialist nurses.

The Government introduced a cap on health service employment several years ago in an effort to end a situation where the former health boards frequently exceeded their annual budgets.