Today's other stories in brief
Talks on junior doctor hours resume today
Talks in an attempt to resolve a row between health service employers and the Irish Medical Organisation over proposed cuts to a range of allowances to junior doctors will resume at the Labour Relations Commission this morning.
The talks, which got under way yesterday, are also looking at a revised contract for junior doctors to reduce their hours and are due to continue for some days.
The IMO last week began balloting its 3,000-plus junior doctor members on industrial action over the changes. The result of that ballot is expected on Friday.
Its director of industrial relations, Finbarr Murphy, in a letter to the HSE last month, said the changes were “a complete assault” on the nationally agreed contractual terms and conditions of junior doctors. He warned that any unilateral action by the HSE “will be dealt with in the same manner”.
The HSE says the hours of junior doctors have to be reduced to comply with the European Working Time Directive. It also wants to reduce overtime payments and a range of training grants.
Protest over Ennis hospital
The people of Clare will not accept increased risk to their lives through the downgrading of 24-hour AE services at Ennis General hospital, a crowd of 500 people who attended a protest meeting in Ennis were told last night.
The chairman of Ennis Hospital Development Committee, Ciaran O’Dea, said the downgrading could not proceed.
Dr Michael Harty of the Clare branch of the Irish College of Practitioners described the HSE plan as “dangerous and irresponsible”.
Fianna Fáil TD Timmy Dooley said he could not ignore the advice of senior consultants who said the HSE changes “will bring about increased patient safety, lower deaths and better outcomes for patients”.
Man’s body taken from Liffey
The body of a man was taken from the river Liffey near Customs House Quay by a unit of Dublin Fire Brigade at 5.20 pm yesterday.
Gardaí believe it is that of a Dublin man missing since Friday last.
Woman (43) dies in Lisburn house fire
The PSNI is investigating a house fire in Lisburn, Co Antrim, in which a woman died in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The woman, named locally as Martina McConnell (43), was found alone in an upstairs bedroom of the house at Bon Accord Terrace on Smithfield Street.
Lisburn Fire Service said the fire was already burning intensely when the emergency services arrived.
The house was fitted with two smoke alarms. The battery had been removed from the upstairs alarm, while the downstairs alarm, although its battery was in place, had failed.
The PSNI is not treating the fire as suspicious. The investigation is ongoing as officers are awaiting the results of the postmortem and forensic testing.
Offers to volunteer for elderly increase
A Dublin charity that helps older people living alone believes the recession is partly responsible for “a marked increase” in offers from people to volunteer in recent months.
Friends of the Elderly said the steady increase in offers to volunteer began last June.
“It’s an ill wind that blows no good,” said Friends of the Elderly spokesman Dermot Kirwan. “Even the recession can have positive side effects.
“Some of our new volunteers are students who have lost their part-time jobs or it could be someone who is now working part time, or even unfortunately, young people who have lost their job,” he added.
Some 167 volunteers visit older people in their homes in the Dublin area.