Report of the National Joint Steering Group on the Working Hours of Non Consultant Hospital Doctors

The introduction of a maximum 48 hour working week for Non Consultant Hospital Doctors by 2010 will have significant implications for both Doctors in training and service delivery in our hospitals. This report focuses on how this reduction in working hours can be achieved and the many directly related issues that need to be addressed Download the Report here

National Study of Turnover in Nursing and Midwifery

The report provides information to assist the Department of Health and Children and the Nursing and Midwifery Planning and Development Units in each Health Board/Health Authority region, to prepare and develop strategic plans for nursing workforce requirements. Download the document here.  

Traveller Health A National Strategy 2002-2005

Traveller Health A National Strategy 2002-2005 Travellers are a distinct minority group of Irish people. They differ from the general population in many respects including their life-style, their culture and their treatment by society. In the Ireland of today, the Traveller community continues to experience high levels of social exclusion and disadvantage â?" a situation which requires an urgent, planned response. Click here to download PDF 831kb

Proceedings of the National Conference on the assessment of Older People's Health and Social Care Needs and Preferences

The Conference took place on May 30th, 2002 in the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoigaire. It attracted over 250 delegates from across the statutory, voluntary and private sectors and the interest that was expressed in the Conference was indicative of the growing recognition of the importance of establishing a more co-ordinated way of conducting health and social care assessments for older people. The Conference provided the opportunity to both discuss the necessity for a standardised approach to conducting assessments and to explore the merits of establishing a national framework for the multi-disciplinary assessment of older people’s health and social care needs and preferences.   Download document here

Acute Hospital Bed Capacity - A National Review

The Programme for Prosperity and Fairness outlined the commitment of the Government to a review of hospital bed capacity in both acute and non-acute settings, to be carried out by the Department of Health and Children in conjunction with the Department of Finance and in consultation with the Social Partners. The focus of this report is on bed capacity in publicly-funded acute hospitals in Ireland. The capacity needs of the sub-acute sector have been assessed separately in the context of the Health Strategy, Quality and Fairness: A Health System for You. Download document here

An Evaluation of Cancer Services in Ireland: A National Strategy 1996

An Evaluation of “Cancer Services in Ireland: A National Strategy 1996″ This report presents the outcome of a comprehensive study that evaluated the extent to which the objectives and actions of the 1996 National Cancer Strategy were achieved. The evaluation was commissioned by the Department of Health and Children on behalf of the National Cancer Forum. The field work was carried out by Deloitte and Touche Management Consultants between October 2002 and February 2003. Click here to download PDF 360kb

Flexible Training Strategy (National Task Force on Medical Staffing)

Flexible Training Strategy (National Task Force on Medical Staffing) The Flexible Training Strategy, while endorsing flexible/part-time options recognises that the preferred option for the majority of doctors-in-training and consultants is most likely to continue to be full-time training and work. Click here to download PDF

National Standards for Foster Care

National Standards for Foster Care The vast majority of children in the care of the state now live with foster carers. A substantial number of these children are cared for by their extended family in relative foster care. Fostering services depend on families and individuals in the community who are willing to share their homes and lives with children and young people whose parents are unable to care for them. Foster carers also share their lives with a range ofprofessionals with whom they work in partnership. Click her to download PDF 925bk Children’s Version PDF 1.65mb

Report of the National Task Force on Medical Staffing (Hanly report)

Report of the National Task Force on Medical Staffing (Hanly report) Patients deserve the best possible care that the Irish health services can deliver. At present, most frontline medical care in hospitals is delivered by non-consultant hospital doctors (NCHDs), the majority of whom work excessively long hours. Patients have limited access to consultant care. NCHDs will soon be required by law to work fewer hours. This will have significant benefits for both doctors and patients. Click here to download PDF 1.7mb

The National Health and Lifestyle Surveys 2003

The National Health and Lifestyle Surveys 2003 Two baseline surveys of health related behaviours among adults and school-going young people were carried out across the Republic of Ireland in 1998 and again in 2002. The main aims of these surveys are to: Click here to download PDF 4.5mb

The National Health and Lifestyle Surveys 2003

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Efficacy and safety of various combination therapies based on a calcium antagonist in essential hypertension: results of a placebo-controlled randomized trial

We tested the efficacy and safety of different combination therapies in hypertensive patients with uncontrolled blood pressure (BP) on a monotherapy with a calcium antagonist: 1,647 hypertensive patients were enrolled to receive placebo for 4 weeks followed by isradipine (ISR) 2.5 mg twice daily (b.i.d.) for 4 weeks. Nonresponders [diastolic BP (DBP) > 90 mm Hg] were randomly assigned to receive either the beta-blocker bopindolol 0.5 or 1 mg/day, the diuretic metolazone 1.25 or 2.5 mg/day, the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor enalapril 10 or 20 mg/day, ISR 5 mg b.i.d., or placebo. One hundred seventy-five receiving placebo dropped out; 93% (n = 1,376) of the 1,472 patients finished 4-week monotherapy with ISR. Sixty percent (n = 826) reached target BP, and 40% (n = 550) remained uncontrolled and were randomized. Regardless of dosage, all drugs led to a comparable reduction in BP except for the lower dosage of bopindolol and ISR 5 mg b.i.d., which were less effective in lowering systolic BP (SBP). The BP decrease achieved by combination therapy ranged from 10 to 15 mm Hg SBP and from 7 to 11 mm Hg DBP but remained unchanged with placebo. Side effects were minor, and only 2.4% of patients discontinued therapy because of side effects. The side-effect score for edema was lower with ISR plus diuretics than with other combinations, whereas the ACE inhibitor was associated with a higher score for cough. Monotherapy with a calcium antagonist normalizes BP in about two-thirds of patients when used in general practice.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Concomitant cisplatin and hyperfractionated radiotherapy in locally advanced head and neck cancer: 10-year follow-up of a randomized phase III trial (SAKK 10/94).

Purpose: To compare the long-term outcome of treatment with concomitant cisplatin and hyperfractionated radiotherapy versus treatment with hyperfractionated radiotherapy alone in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer.Methods and Materials: From July 1994 to July 2000, a total of 224 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were randomized to receive either hyperfractionated radiotherapy alone (median total dose, 74.4 Gy; 1.2 Gy twice daily; 5 days per week) or the same radiotherapy combined with two cycles of cisplatin (20 mg/m(2) for 5 consecutive days during weeks 1 and 5). The primary endpoint was the time to any treatment failure; secondary endpoints were locoregional failure, metastatic failure, overall survival, and late toxicity assessed according to Radiation Therapy Oncology Group criteria.Results: Median follow-up was 9.5 years (range, 0.1-15.4 years). Median time to any treatment failure was not significantly different between treatment arms (hazard ratio [HR], 1.2 [95% confidence interval [CM 0.9-1.7; p = 0.17]). Rates of locoregional failure-free survival (HR, 1.5 [95% CI, 1.1-2.1;p = 0.021), distant metastasis-free survival (HR, 1.6 [95% CI, 1.1-2.5; p = 0.021), and cancer-specific survival (HR, 1.6 [95% CI, 1.0-2.5;p = 0.03]) were significantly improved in the combined-treatment arm, with no difference in major late toxicity between treatment arms. However, overall survival was not significantly different (HR, 1.3 [95% CI, 0.9-1.8; p = 0.11]).Conclusions: After long-term follow-up, combined-treatment with cisplatin and hyperfractionated radiotherapy maintained improved rates of locoregional control, distant metastasis-free survival, and cancer-specific survival compared to that of hyperfractionated radiotherapy alone, with no difference in major late toxicity. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc.

Report of the National Task Force on Medical Staffing (Hanly report)

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National Standards for Foster Care

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