Legal profession: Patient Safety Authority necessary

The legal profession have called for the establishment of a Patient Safety Authority.

It comes following the recent revelations surrounding the care of the elderly in this country.

The problem, according to a leading specialist medical lawyer, isn't just confined to nursing homes but throughout the entire healthcare sector.

Ann O'Driscoll says the authority could set and maintain clinical standards.

She added that Ireland is now in a position where the media have to uncover unacceptable practices in healthcare and that this is undesirable and dangerous as it erodes public confidence in the system.