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SPECIALIST CARE: Are we looking after our intern doctors and specialist trainees?
Ireland
During their years of training, doctors often work excessive hours and experience poor work environments in the Irish healthcare system.
16 Backers raised €350 of €2430
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Open
STATE OF EMERGENCY: Why is overcrowding in University Hospital Limerick still so acute - and what does that mean for patients?
Limerick
Over the past five years, University Hospital Limerick (UHL) has been the most overcrowded hospital in Ireland, with the most people waiting for a free bed year-on-year.
2 Backers raised €40 of €2990
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Open
PUSHING PILLS: Is there an overprescription problem in our nursing homes?
Ireland
The inappropriate prescribing of drugs to residents of nursing homes is a global problem and Ireland is no different.
19 Backers raised €480 of €3770
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Open
BILL OF HEALTH : Are wellness pyramid schemes preying on Irish consumers?
Ireland
The wellness, health and beauty industries have become big business in recent years globally - but not all players are interested in the wellbeing of their clients. A nasty side shoot has sprung up of​​ so-called wellness schemes that make dubious claims of health benefits and promise easy money in return for an initial investment.
1 Backer raised €20 of €2300
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Open
COVID CONTRACTS: In crisis mode, does the tendering process go out the window?
Ireland
Since the start of the pandemic, there have been issues with contracts and delivery of equipment such as ventilators across the world.
2 Backers raised €15 of €2890
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Open
WASH IT DOWN: Is Ireland’s pharma industry waste helping the spread of superbugs?
Ireland
Superbugs - microbes resistant to most drugs - are "one of the biggest threats to global health", according to the WHO. But how are they developing this resistance?
0 Backers raised €0 of €3430
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Open
MAKE ENDS MEAT: What are conditions like for meat factory workers in Ireland?
Ireland
The Covid pandemic highlighted poor conditions for workers in meat processing plants in Ireland as one of the first industries to report frequent outbreaks of the virus.
9 Backers raised €190 of €3200
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Open
IN THE WEEDS: How toxic is our use of weedkillers at home and by public authorities?
Ireland
There is ample scientific evidence that herbicides used to kill weeds can cause long-term damage to pollinator insects. There are now emerging links to impacts on human health.
57 Backers raised €1644 of €2420
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Open
WAITING ROOM: Why is it difficult for many to get access to a local GP?
Ireland
General practitioner services have been under severe pressure since the pandemic resulting in longer appointment waiting times and leaving many struggling to find a GP in their area.
6 Backers raised €240 of €3190
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Open
UP MANURE CREEK: Why is traditional slurry spreading happening when it’s bad for human health?
Ireland
Slurry is one of the most popular fertilisers on farms as the manure and water mix offers a cheap boost of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to boost grass and crop growth.
12 Backers raised €445 of €2310
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Open
CROSSING FOR CARE: Is Ireland using a cross border scheme to export its healthcare issues?
Ireland
Irish patients continue to travel abroad for appointments with consultants and for much-needed surgeries in order to avoid long waiting lists here.
1 Backer raised €20 of €2715
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Open
UP IN SMOKE: What role does domestic wood burning play in Ireland’s air pollution problems?
Ireland
Each year, 1,300 people die prematurely due to air pollution from solid fuel burning, including wood. The practice has come under the spotlight for its role in poor air quality in our towns and villages.
6 Backers raised €185 of €2340
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Open
REHAB WAIT: Why are people waiting up to two years for a drug detox bed?
Dublin
A rising demand for drug treatment is recognised in the current Government drug strategy, yet thousands continue to wait for months, and sometimes years, to be admitted to a detox bed.
5 Backers raised €150 of €2230
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Open
LOST FOR WORDS: Why does Ireland not have any quality standards for vital service interpreters?
Dublin
Those who need the services of a language interpreter in Ireland may find their voices unheard, as a number of reports in recent years highlighted the ‘uneven quality’ of this service and lack of training standards.
6 Backers raised €95 of €2630
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Nearly Funded
SYSTEM OVERLOAD: The public health system was creaking before the pandemic - has Covid-19 broken it?
Ireland
At the start of 2021, Ireland had a backlog of thousands of positive Covid-19 tests awaiting validation.
42 Backers raised €1413 of €1840
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Open
DAY IN DAY OUT: What has the impact of reduced day services been on people with disabilities?
Ireland
Day services for people with disabilities were badly hit by the pandemic, by first closing their doors for a number of months, and then reopening at a reduced capacity.
2 Backers raised €35 of €1940
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Open
RADON AWARE: Is the State doing enough to protect families from this cancer-causing dangerous gas?
Ireland
Radon is a radioactive gas linked to 300 lung cancer cases each year in Ireland – the second largest cause after smoking - with one-third of the country classified as a high radon area by the EPA.
4 Backers raised €92 of €1620
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Open
GOING TO BED HUNGRY: Is the State tackling food poverty?
Ireland
People go to bed hungry in Ireland every day with one in ten households here experiencing food poverty - being unable to get healthy affordable food.
3 Backers raised €70 of €1950
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Open
BURNOUT: Is the growth of incinerators for toxic waste in Ireland a danger to our health?
Ireland
Ireland lacks the capacity to process hazardous waste, most of which is exported abroad, with plans to increase domestic management outlined in the National Hazardous Waste Management Plan.
3 Backers raised €35 of €2190
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Completed
TOUGH START: Is the opportunity gap for Traveller children ever going to close?
Ireland
Children in the Irish Traveller community are at a disadvantage from the moment they are born. Infant mortality is over three times higher, suicide is six to seven times higher and life expectancy is over a decade lower than the general population.
69 Backers raised €2130 of €2130
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Funded
FACTORY FARM: Are we prioritising profits over animal welfare and human health?
Ireland
The traditional image of the small Irish family farm is slowly slipping away with many farms growing more industrialised in response to ambitious production targets set by the State.
87 Backers raised €2730 of €2720
 Funded 
Open
POSTCARDS OFFER: Give the gift of investigative journalism
Ireland
Have you enjoyed our award-winning reporting? This is your chance to share the gift of investigative journalism - and receive a set of limited edition Noteworthy postcards.
19 Backers raised €518 of €5000
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Open
IN LIMBO: Why are people left in hospitals and nursing homes instead of rehab?
Ireland
Though the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) recently moved into a new building, spinal cord and brain injury survivors remain on long waiting lists for specialist rehabilitation.
5 Backers raised €160 of €1730
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Open
CAPTIVES OF COVID: What will be the long-term impact of cocooning on the high risk groups who are isolating from the world?
Ireland
At the end of March 2020, people at high risk from Covid-19 were advised to stay at home and ‘cocoon’. The ‘do not leave your house’ lockdown for this group lasted almost six weeks, but months later, many of these same people are still at home, avoiding workplaces and turning away visitors.
3 Backers raised €45 of €1150
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Open
RED FLAG: Is swimming off Ireland's coast under threat from pollution?
Ireland
While over 90% of our bathing water is classed as excellent or good, a wave of swimming bans have hit beaches across the country due to water quality issues linked to pollution problems and our changing climate.
38 Backers raised €895 of €2600
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Open
SILENT TREATMENT: Are people with eating disorders being failed by the public health system?
Ireland
The HSE is currently implementing a national clinical programme for eating disorders but there have been significant issues with its roll-out, with just over 3% of money allocated to improve supports and treatment actually spent on this since 2018.
32 Backers raised €990 of €1840
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Open
BIRTH PLACE: Why does the Irish health service offer so little choice for expectant mothers?
Ireland
In 2015, the National Maternity Strategy said “there is a lack of choice for expectant mothers” by international standards. It proposed a model of care that “represents a fundamental overhaul of services” which are currently “largely consultant-led and hospital-based”.
25 Backers raised €880 of €2030
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Open
SHUTTING THE DOOR: Will the pandemic make it even harder for disabled people to get jobs in Ireland?
Ireland
With the lowest rate of employment for disabled people in the EU, Ireland does not have a good track record in this area. Now with the added economic stresses of Covid-19, many campaigners are worried that the situation will only get worse.
9 Backers raised €280 of €1340
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Open
NIL BY MOUTH: Why are patients still eating poor quality hospital food?
Ireland
Poor quality hospital food has been highlighted by patient advocates as an issue for decades but Covid-19 isolation measures and a lack of visitors have made this problem even more stark.
9 Backers raised €260 of €1540
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Completed
TRAPPED WITH TORMENTORS: How can we protect people from abuse and violence during the pandemic?
Ireland
During this pandemic, home is a place of refuge and safety for most of us. But for thousands of women, men and children, home feels like the most dangerous place they could be.
16 Backers raised €720 of €700
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Completed
CARING FOR CARERS: What’s life like for care workers in the coronavirus crisis?
Ireland
As Ireland grapples with the fallout from Covid-19, we want to see how one group of frontline workers - home carers - are faring, particularly when it comes to their pay and conditions.
20 Backers raised €1375 of €1375
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Open
LIVING IN THE SHADOW: What is the impact of wind farms on local communities?
Ireland
The government’s Climate Action Plan aims to increase reliance on renewables from 30% to 70%. Part of this drive would involve increasing renewable onshore wind energy capacity to a level that equates to introducing over 1,150 more wind turbines to the landscape.
12 Backers raised €290 of €2060
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Open
HEALERS OR QUACKS: Are we protecting cancer patients from fake cancer cures?
Ireland
Every hour in Ireland, a person dies from cancer. The disease is the biggest killer in the country, accounting for one in four of all deaths.
6 Backers raised €85 of €1890
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Open
ASSESSING AUTISM: Why is the wait time for ASD assessments over a year longer than legally required?
Ireland
Research shows that early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) leading to early interventions and treatment can have major long-term positive effects on symptoms and later skills.
22 Backers raised €525 of €2100
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Open
NOWHERE TO TURN: Have Irish people died because they can't access out-of-hours mental health care?
Ireland
Acute mental health services are under increasing pressure across Ireland with out-of-hours care being identified as a major issue in many reports.
9 Backers raised €265 of €2200
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Open
HEAD IN THE GAME: Is the GAA doing enough to tackle concussion?
Ireland
Concussion was highlighted as a “big issue” by the previous director general of the GAA in 2017 when he raised concerns that no medical personnel are present at most local games.
1 Backer raised €10 of €2060
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Open
PARKING PRESSURE: Why are patients and families still paying high rates to park at hospitals?
Ireland
Patients, visitors, and staff of Irish hospitals are forking out over €60,000 every day to park at hospitals around the country. In 2017, €22.4 million was raised by hospitals from parking, making it an important source of funding for them.
2 Backers raised €20 of €1400
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Completed
SELLING OUR GENES: Should the Government be funding a private company to collect 400,000 Irish people’s DNA?
Ireland
Personal data is big business - and nothing is more personal than our genetic blueprint.
74 Backers raised €2300 of €2300
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Completed
RISK TO BABY: Why were Irish women not told for decades about an epilepsy drug that causes birth defects?
Ireland
Sodium valproate is an epilepsy medicine commonly sold under the name Epilim. It was known since its availability in the 1970s that it may cause birth defects if used in pregnancy yet for decades many women across the world were prescribed this drug without being warned of this risk by their doctors.
16 Backers raised €580 of €580
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Completed
FUNDING FERTILITY: Has the delay in publicly funding IVF destroyed people’s chance to have children?
Ireland
Around one in six couples in Ireland experience difficulty when trying to have children and will face thousands of euro in costs if they seek fertility treatment.
28 Backers raised €950 of €950
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Completed
SPEAK OR SURVIVE? Are survivors of sexual abuse properly supported when they come forward?
National
At least one in four people experience sexual abuse in childhood. About 80 per cent are abused by a person known to them; most often, a family member.
48 Backers raised €1440 of €1410
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Completed
PARENT RIGHTS: Why are same-sex couples and other parents still in legal limbo with their own children?
Ireland
Half a decade after Ireland’s historic marriage equality vote, many same-sex couples and so-called ‘non-traditional families’ still face discrimination when it comes to their rights as parents.
24 Backers raised €751 of €750
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Completed
PRICE OF BEAUTY: Are people taking a risk when they opt for dermal fillers?
National
Dermal fillers have become one of the treatments of choice for people in Ireland wanting to rid themselves of wrinkles.
1 Backer raised €900 of €900
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Completed
FOLLOWING THE HERD: Why are Meningitis C vaccination rates so far behind target in parts of Ireland?
National
For many parents, the word meningitis is enough to send shivers down their spine.
2 Backers raised €353 of €350
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Completed
LATE INTERVENTION: Why does it take over two years to get early intervention appointments for some children?
Ireland
Across the country, there are thousands of young children in need of early intervention.
9 Backers raised €1100 of €1100
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Completed
PROTECTING THE PROTECTORS: The mental health crisis in the Defence Forces.
National
Almost a year ago, the only psychiatrist working in the Defence Forces retired from his post.
2 Backers raised €252 of €250
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