Legal News (Healthcare Law)

On 06 August 2020, the Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 (the “Act”) was signed into law, aimed primarily at responding to the challenges that the Irish legal profession and courts system face in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The recent High Court decision in the case of Brereton v The Governors of the National Maternity Hospital & Ors [2020] IEHC 172 (“Brereton”) provides up-to-date guidance on the courts’ interpretation of recent amendments made to Order 8, Rule 1 of the Rules of the Superior Courts [1].

In a District Court prosecution this week, CORU succeeded in obtaining convictions in respect of two individuals who were found to be using the titles of ‘Occupational Therapist’ and ‘Speech and Language Therapist’ without the requisite CORU registration,

The case of Mordel v Royal Berkshire NHS Trust [2019] EWHC 2591 (QB) is one of the most illuminating judgments regarding the question of informed consent to emerge in recent times. 

In its recent decision the Supreme Court has affirmed that the ‘Dunne’ principles remain the appropriate legal test for establishing liability in medical negligence litigation in Ireland.

On Friday 20 March 2020, the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020 was signed into law by President Michael D Higgins, having been passed by Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann at unprecedented speed, in light of prevailing circumstances.