Clare's drinking water supply has been given top marks

An EPA report into drinking water in Ireland in 2009 and 2010, found that Clare County Council's drinking water supply was given the all clear regarding microbiological compliance, while chemical compliance levels were 99% in both years.

The report also found one boil notice and one water restriction were in effect at the end of 2010, affecting less than 100 people.

Clare County Council is responsible for the operation of 23 Public Water Supplies serving a population of over 80,000 people..

A West Clare student has been honoured with a prestigious award for her studies of medicine.

Dympna O'Dwyer of Mullagh has scooped the Watts Medal, awarded for the best presentation of scientific work to a lay audience.

The NUI Galway student, who is in her fourth year of medical studies, was the overall winner of the competition which is run by the Health Research Board.

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Relief has been expressed throughout Clare to the news that the county's public nursing homes will be untouched despite a nationwide cull in the numbers of beds

Clare's Oireachtas members have been told that no beds are to be permanently closed at Raheen in Tuamgraney, Ennistymon Community Hospital, St. Joseph's Ennis or Regina House in Kilrush.

There was particular concern for facilities in West Clare and local representatives are pleased that that fears have been allayed

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Clare health campaigners are demanding the HSE publish in full its contingency plans to deal the wide scale retirements of front-line staff within the health service locally.

The calls come following comments from consultant obstetrician Dr. Jerry Burke, who claims lives will be lost after 47 of the 200 midwives at the Mid West Maternity Hospital retire from the end of next month.

The Health Minister has dismissed his concerns, and has accused Dr. Burke of causing anxiety.

The head of the HSE will address a Public Accounts Committee this morning.

Cathal Magee's expected to discuss key service areas of the Executive, including the roll-out of primary care teams across the country.

Also on the agenda today will be the Fair Deal for nursing homes in the State, which is now in its third year.

In a statement, the Public Accounts Committee says it wants to establish how the Fair Deal scheme can best deliver value for money.
 

Clare members of the regional health forum say they are not surprised at claims from a senior doctor that the public service retirement scheme could cost lives.

Doctor Gerry Burke, a senior obstetrician at the Mid-Western Maternity Hospital in Limerick yesterday warned that the expected loss of 47 of the facility's 200 midwives from next month will compromise patient care.

The  hospital provides care to over 6-thousand women and about 5-thousand-200 newborn infants in the mid-west - including County Clare - every year.

Northern Ireland's Department of Health has confirmed it's treating what appears to be another case of pseudomonas at the Royal Maternity Hospital in Belfast.

The source of the outbreak, which has already killed three newborns, has not yet been identified.

Irish consumers should be given more information about the price of drugs that they're buying in pharmacies.

That's one of the recommendations of a new report from the Economic and Social Research Institute, which is calling for lower prices for pharmaceuticals in Ireland.

At the moment, the mark-ups, dispensing fees and pharmacy service charges are not clearly displayed for the consumer.

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A new study has revealed that large parts of County Clare are among the worst serviced by full-time hospital care.

A mapping system, created by NUI Maynooth, has identified 'healthcare blackspots' which flag up gaps in access to services across the island of Ireland.

Their system finds that it takes 59 minutes to go from Lisdoonvarna to the nearest 24 hour A&E unit , and that for Kilkee the journey is even longer at 69 minutes.

Researchers found journey times from large parts of East Clare are over 45 minutes - the national average is 21 minutes.

There are calls on the new "health supremo" charged with overseeing the Mid West hospitals group to outline her plan of action to tackle A&E overcrowding and budgetary overspends.

Ann Doherty, the former head of the National Hospitals Office has taken up her role as the new CEO of the region's hospitals at Ennis Limerick and Nenagh.