A chat room on a new website which will enable nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers across the State highlight practices which are causing them concern is due to go live later this week.
The site is the idea of Dublin nurse Florence Horseman Hogan who said it was likely to be a much used forum for discussion among health professionals on everyday issues.
It will also enable professionals blow the whistle on worrying practices while maintaining their anonymity, according to Ms Horseman Hogan.
The site is now established (www.nightingaleforum.com) and workers in the health sector have already begun e-mailing comments to it on various issues.
For example, a nurse in a Dublin nursing home has highlighted a practice which she believes to be against An Bord Altranais guidelines.
When she starts her shift, she gives out medicine to patients that have been dispensed by the nurse on the previous shift.
"I brought this up with the matron and she said it's too busy at the shift start for the nurses to be at the medicine press, and that's the way it's always been done," she wrote in her e-mail.
"I didn't say any more because the job is so handy to where I live.
"But isn't it against our guidelines to administer meds [ medicines] dispensed by another, or am I covered by the nursing home?" she asked.
Another contributor said he was a carer in a midlands nursing home and he expressed concern about staffing levels there.
"At night time, there are two of us carers and one nurse to mind 45 old people. The home is two storeys.
"I get worried sick when I think if there was a fire we would never get most of them out.
"Is anyone else worried about this?" he wondered.
Another nurse referred to the recent outbreak of the winter vomiting bug in a number of Dublin hospitals and noted that despite the fact that the public were warned to stay away, they continued to turn up in great numbers.
"Suppose the public were even more curious about the hospitals then.
"What annoyed me was most of it was stupid stuff, but it exposed them to infection, and then they ended up coming in for rehydration . . . loads of staff were down too.
"Did anyone notice the amount of praise we got from management or Minister?
"Do I sound heartless . . . well, with the media coverage we've gotten recently, I have every right to be heartless.
"According to Ms Harney, we're totally responsible for the spread of infections . . . how much extra resources did we get to deal with it?
"Ha! Wait 'til news of VRE [ Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus] hits the public. I'm amazed they've kept it quiet for so long.
"Then the Minister might be a bit more willing to help instead of all the knocking!" she said.
Ms Horseman Hogan said the anonymity of contributors was protected.
When the forum opens later this week anyone wishing to register to chat will be given their own password.
Only health professionals would be able to enter the chat room, Ms Horseman Hogan said, but the public would be able to read their contributions.
"There is a lot of demoralisation at the moment in the profession so this will be a very good way for people to communicate and build up morale," she said.