Cancer reports - A yellow card for HSE

SO, the Fitzgerald report, which looked at the Health Service Executive role in the Portlaoise cancer crises, has found there were serious weaknesses in governing, management and communications.

Mr Fitzgerald says this caused unnecessary anxiety and that the situation should not have arisen. There were too many people involved at different levels and from different areas of the HSE though their roles were not clearly defined, nor were their responsibilities.

Essentially, too many cooks spoiled the broth. This confirms what is already widely believed: that the HSE is top heavy, overly bureaucratic and determinedly secretive when its interests are threatened.