The Last Word with Matt Cooper

Amid concerns that numbers awaiting hospital beds could reach 1,000 this week, HSE CEO Steven Mulvaney has asked senior medical staff to work this weekend. This follows comments from Health Minister Stephen Donnelly yesterday. Tony Fitzpatrick, Director of Industrial Relations at the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and Professor Matthew Sadlier, head of the IMO’s Consultant Committee discussed the issue and outline the concerns of hospital workers. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

It’s that time of year when people set goals for their health and fitness, but many resolutions are not sustainable in the long term. Dr. Brian Higgins, GP at Galway Primary Care outlined attainable health goals and plans for the year ahead. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

This week, Minister for Justice and Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris joined Matt on The Last Word for the Culture Club. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Sleep is extremely important for our physical and mental health but many people struggle to get enough. Helen Vaughan, psychotherapist and owner of Maynooth Counselling, joined Matt on The Last Word to talk about improving the quality of your sleep. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

RTÉ’s popular TV show Operation Transformation will return tonight. Some people have criticised the reality programme over the years for its focus on weight loss while others have hailed it as a life saver. To discuss the good and the bad of Operation Transformation, Matt was joined by Elaine Burke, host of the 'For Tech’s Sake' podcast, and Sheila Naughten, head of news at Tipp FM. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Charlie Weston joined Matt for a personal finance special to discuss how you can save money in 2023. Andy O’Donoghue, The Last Word’s tech expert, also outlined a list of apps that could be helpful if you are looking to save some cash. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Louise Cantillon, new presenter of lunchtimes here on TodayFM joined us this week for The Culture Club!Press the 'Play' button on this page to hear her choices!

Charlie Weston, Personal Finance Editor for The Irish Independent joined The Last Word to help get your finances in order for 2024!Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

Mark Lawrenson and Tony Cascarino joined Matt to discuss whether Arsenal are genuine Premiere League title contenders. We also heard a snippet of a 2009 Last Word interview with Pele, as the Brazilian hero was laid to rest today. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.

It may be a new year, but many of the same, age-old challenges face Leo Varadkar's Government. How will it fare in the year ahead? Gary Murphy from the School of Law and Government at DCU, and Daniel McConnell, Political Editor of the Irish Examiner joined us to discuss. Catch the full chat by pressing the 'Play' button on this page.