Healthcare Law

The UK Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal in a high-profile case aimed at preventing the prescription of puberty-blocking drugs to transgender children under the age of 16. In Bell v Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, lawyers for Keira Bell – a woman who said she regretted taking pubert

Legislation is set to be drawn up by government to strengthen the rights of individuals in relation to their health information. The Health Information Bill will provide for the appointment of a "national health information guardian", who will be an independent champion for individuals and the publi

Personal injury lawyers have called on the Irish government to establish a statutory compensation scheme for vaccine-related injuries. An expert group chaired by Mr Justice Charles Meenan recommended in December 2020 that the government establish a vaccine compensation scheme "as a matter of urgency

Two lawyers have been appointed as members of Leopardstown Park Hospital Board for a five-year term. Barrister Ciara Davin and solicitor Doirín Mulligan have been appointed by health minister Stephen Donnelly to serve on the Board until 17 February 2026.

Northern Ireland's High Court has denied leave for judicial review to an applicant who believed that being forced to rely on in-patient mental health treatments violated his rights under Articles 2 and 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The court held that systems in place to provide ment

The Court of Appeal has ruled that the Health Service Executive (HSE) was required to carry out assessments of children with suspected disabilities on a chronological and nationwide basis. In so ruling, the Court rejected a submission that the HSE could carry out such assessments of need on a region

Dr Sandra Duffy comments on last week’s English Court of Appeal ruling on transgender children’s access to puberty blockers. On Friday 17th September, the Court of Appeal for England and Wales handed down its decision in the appeal of Bell v Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust. This judgment

A disabled child in Northern Ireland, represented by the Children's Law Centre, has been successful in a High Court challenge of the decision to repurpose temporary respite care facilities during the Covid-19 pandemic. The child, now aged 12, was adversely affected by the decision to repurpose a fac

Barrister Marguerite Bolger SC has been reportedly been appointed by ministers to lead talks with hospital consultants about the roll-out of Sláintecare. Ms Bolger will chair talks in September aimed at persuading medical specialists who will work exclusively within the new public system to a

A court ruling that a 16-year-old transgender girl does not require court permission to access hormone blockers will "bring comfort" to other young trans people in Northern Ireland, a solicitor has said. In a judgment handed down in May and published earlier this month, Mrs Justice Siobhan Keegan sa

Two lawyers have been appointed to registration boards within multi-profession health regulator CORU. Barrister Colm Scott-Byrne has been appointed to the Dietitians Registration Board while solicitor Karen Watret has been appointed to the Medical Scientists Registration Board.

Last month the team at HOMS Assist secured a high value undisclosed settlement and an apology from the HSE for our client, a widow whose young husband died as a result of deficits of care at the University Hospital Kerry, which tragically resulted in his untimely death. However, it took a four-year

An ex-gratia compensation scheme for injuries linked to vaccinations is being established by the government as a matter of priority, according to reports. An expert group chaired by Mr Justice Charles Meenan last year called for a scheme to be established "as a matter of urgency", having been consid

Relaxed blood donation rules allowing for more gay and bisexual men to donate blood in Northern Ireland will be brought into effect next week. Until 2016, there was a blanket ban on men who have had sex with other men donating blood in Northern Ireland.

The Department of Health has sought legal advice on the issue of mixing and matching Covid-19 vaccines from different manufacturers. Attorney general Paul Gallagher SC has been asked to prepare advice for health minister Stephen Donnelly on any possible legal issues in departing from how vaccines we