By Sarah Gill
11th Aug 2023
11th Aug 2023
Your speedy summary of today's must-read stories.
Free GP care
From today, parents and guardians of children aged six and seven can register for free GP visit cards as the scheme extends to around 78,000 children. Current GP visit cards for those aged five and under will be automatically extended until a child turns eight. As well as free visits to the doctor, the card covers assessments at ages two and five, GP home visits and out-of-hours urgent GP care.
Student accommodation
The CCPC has alerted third-level students to warning signs of potential rental scams and asked that they bear this in mind during their accommodation search. Gardaí have reported a 65% increase in accommodation scams since 2019 and students are under “severe pressure” this year in their hunt for accommodation. The commission said that rental scams will attempt “to trick you out of your money by pretending to offer you a property or room to rent”. The watchdog says “a major red flag” would be if the landlord says they are away or live outside Ireland.
HSE industrial action
Clerical and administrative staff members in the HSE are set to commence industrial action in early September. The decision to start industrial action was backed by some 93.3% of Fórsa union members, who voted in a ballot on the matter on Thursday. It was prompted by the HSE’s decision to halt all recruitment of clerical and administrative staff in July. The union said the HSE is increasingly relying on agency staff as well as external private consultants instead of “investing in upskilling and training its existing workforce or promoting them in vacant roles.”
Elizabeth Ndudi
Elizabeth Ndudi has become Ireland’s first-ever field gold medalist at the European Under-20 Championships in Jerusalem. The Dundrum athlete came out on top in the long jump with a jump of 6.56 metres. Her distance is also a new Irish under-20 record.
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