Ireland's Eye: What's going on in the old sod

The study looked at the sleeping habits of all 26 counties based on the popularity of the herbal sleeping remedy Dormeasn which is used to help relieve sleep disturbances.

“Getting a good night’s rest is really important as sleep is designed to restore our body to full function after wearing ourselves out during the day,” Murphy insisted.

“For many of us, it can be difficult to switch off when our had hits the pillow. When our sleep is disturbed our bodies don’t get time to repair.”

And the county hosting the worst sleepers? That title went to Cavan, closely followed by Waterford and Dublin.
- Donegal Democrat
 
Craigavon Mayor Stephen Moutray and Upper Bann MP David Simpson are meeting with local health chiefs in the near future after two elderly patients were attacked in their beds in Craigavon Area Hospital.

The assault on the patients -- one of whom is over 90 -- took place in a medical ward and was reported to Moutray, who is angry about the attack and that the assailant was permitted to remain in the same ward as the patients for three days "until he discharged himself."

The Southern Area Health and Social Care Trust has confirmed the incident, but added such incidents were rare and that they operate a zero tolerance policy against violence.

And the charity Aged NI has roundly condemned the incident, with chief executive Anne O'Reilly saying, "It is important to ensure that older people in hospital are well protected and that procedures are in place to make sure that staff are able to observe what is happening and take action."

Moutray said that the 90-year-old sustained head injuries, while the other suffered bruises and cuts.

It happened at the beginning of October and he is seeking an "urgent meeting with the hospital's chief executive and with officials of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust to sort out the problem of violence in hospitals."

He added, "There are great concerns over the safety of patients and staff, and I want to know what the level of security is and whether there have been any prosecutions. I will be asking all these questions at the meeting.

"My information is this was a totally unprovoked attack and many questions have to be answered."

A spokesperson from the Southern Trust said, "Unfortunately sometimes patients can become aggressive due to their underlying conditions.

"The trust can confirm that there was an incident in Craigavon Area Hospital which has been subject to a thorough investigation, and we have reviewed and updated policies and procedures for dealing with aggressive patients to protect themselves, other patients and staff.

"Thankfully such incidents are rare, but the trust takes attacks on staff and patients extremely seriously and we have a number of measures in place to ensure their personal protection.”
- Portadown Times

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Nster.com