Competition in Primary Healthcare in Ireland:More and Better Services for Less Money

Understanding precisely the nature of competition in primary healthcare has an important role to play in understanding how to improve the delivery of healthcare services. This is particularly the case in Ireland, where the private sector plays such a large role in primary care. If we do not understand competition, well-intentioned regulations and policies are less likely to be effective and more likely to result in excessive costs and under-utilisation of primary healthcare. This in turn can increase Ireland’s overall health expenditure and contribute to a higher cost of living in Ireland and thus lower competitiveness. This paper shows how well-designed regulations and systems for State funding of primary healthcare can ensure that competition works well and contributes to the better availability and quality of services at the lowest possible cost. The most common barriers to entry and expansion in primary healthcare markets are outlined and pricesetting mechanisms examined. Examples are used to illustrate the benefits to consumers and the State where these obstacles to competition have been removed, and the difficulties where they remain. Conclusions are drawn on the implications of this analysis for the governance of regulatory bodies, for regulatory Codes of Conduct, and for achieving value for money. It is time for the culture of the healthcare professions to move towards one where it is no longer considered “unprofessional” to provide a competitive service.

Excavation of an early 17th-century glassmaking site at Glasshouse, Shinrone, Co. Offaly, Ireland

An archaeological research excavation was conducted in the area immediately surrounding an upstanding glassmaking furnace near Shinrone, Co. Offaly, Ireland. It dates to the early to mid 17th century and was built and operated by French Huguenots, probably de Hennezells (de Hennezel/Henzeys/Hensie) who had settled in this region as part of the Crown plantation of King’s County (now Co. Offaly). This furnace, which employed wood rather than coal as a fuel, is a very rare survival, with no other upstanding examples known in Ireland, Britain or the Lorraine region of France where the form probably originated

Gold potential of the Dalradian rocks of north-west Northern Ireland : prospectivity analysis using Tellus data

The Dalradian terrane in the north-west of Northern Ireland is prospective for orogenic vein-hosted gold mineralisation with important deposits at Curraghinalt and Cavanacaw. New geochemical and geophysical data from the DETI-funded Tellus project have been used, in conjunction with other spatial geoscience datasets, to map the distribution of prospectivity for this style of mineralisation over this terrane. A knowledge-based fuzzy logic modelling methodology using Arc Spatial Data Modeller was utilised. Four main groups of targets were identified, many close to known occurrences in the Lack - Curraghinalt zone and others in prospective areas identified by previous investigations. Additional targets are located along west-north-west trending linear zones at the eastern end of the Newtownstewart Basin and to the north of the Omagh-Kesh Basin. These zones may be related to major structures linked to a westward extension of the Curraghinalt lateral ramp which is regarded as an important control on the location of the Curraghinalt deposit

Competition in Primary Healthcare in Ireland: More and Better Services for Less Money

Understanding precisely the nature of competition in primary healthcare has an important role to play in understanding how to improve the delivery of healthcare services. This is particularly the case in Ireland, where the private sector plays such a large role in primary care. If we do not understand competition, well-intentioned regulations and policies are less likely to be effective and more likely to result in excessive costs and under-utilisation of primary healthcare. This in turn can increase Ireland?s overall health expenditure and contribute to a higher cost of living in Ireland and thus lower competitiveness. This paper shows how well-designed regulations and systems for State funding of primary healthcare can ensure that competition works well and contributes to the better availability and quality of services at the lowest possible cost. The most common barriers to entry and expansion in primary healthcare markets are outlined and pricesetting mechanisms examined. Examples are used to illustrate the benefits to consumers and the State where these obstacles to competition have been removed, and the difficulties where they remain. Conclusions are drawn on the implications of this analysis for the governance of regulatory bodies, for regulatory Codes of Conduct, and for achieving value for money. It is time for the culture of the healthcare professions to move towards one where it is no longer considered ?unprofessional? to provide a competitive service

Anxiety, relationship satisfaction and Pphubbing as predictors of excessive social media use

Social media has become a feature of every day modern life. While for many individuals social media use may be fervent but not addictive, some can participate in social media activities excessively and problematically. The primary aim of this correlational study was to investigate whether anxiety, relationship satisfaction and partner phubbing predict excessive social media use. A convenient sample of 126 adults ranging in age from 18 years old to 65 years participated in an online survey that included the Bergan Social Media Addiction Scale, the Relationship Satisfaction Scale and the Partner Phubbing Scale. Results indicated that anxiety and Pphubbing significantly predict social media use with substantially meaningful effect size, supporting the idea that excessive use of social media indicates a need to deal with uncomfortable feelings (anxiety) and relationship issues arising from the influence of technology (Pphubbing). Future research should adopt experimental and longitudinal designs to further investigate causality