Children’s Hospital Gets All Clear!
The New National Children’s Hospital at St James’s Hospital will finally go ahead after planning permission was granted by An Bord Pleanala. The hospital is expected to open in 2020 with 2,300 jobs expected to be generated during the construction phase.
On his Twitter feed, Acting Minister for Health Leo Varadkar said the decision to give the go-ahead to the €700 million-plus project was, “fantastic news for all the children of Ireland.” He also said that, “It will produce a state of the art hospital of which everyone can be proud.”
Children’s Hospital Group CEO Eilísh Hardiman, speaking on RTE’s Morning Ireland welcomed the news, “This truly is a watershed day for children, young people and their families. Today’s decision will positively transform how paediatric services are delivered for children and young people here in Ireland.” She went on to describe the decision as, “A great day for Ireland.” The CEOs of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital and the National Children’s Hospital at Tallaght also welcomed the decision.
Speaking about the positive benefits that the decision will deliver for patients and staff of St. James’s Hospital, Lorcan Birthistle, CEO of St. James’s Hospital said: “We welcome today’s announcement and look forward to continuing to work with the Children’s Hospital Group and with the NPHDB to ensure that the design and location of the hospital best meets the needs of children and adolescents. We are excited at the opportunity this decision presents to further develop world class services on our campus and we look forward to the development of The Coombe Hospital maternity and women’s health services on campus in the future.”
John Pollock, Project Director said, “We have been working towards this day for over two years and families and clinicians have been focused on securing this result for decades. We will be on site this summer and are on track to have a world class facility for those who badly need it, ready for handover to the Children’s Hospital Group in 2020.”
Since it was first mooted, the New National Children’s Hospital has been the subject of controversy mainly due to its location. Children’s groups such as The New Children’s Hospital Alliance have objected to the location of the new hospital. They insist that it should be built on the campus of Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown; a main argument being the close proximity to the M50 motorway.
(Editor’s note: St James Hospital is also a transport nexus due to its location beside Hueston Station, the Luas lines and the bus corridor)
Project Timeline to date
August 2014 – Design Commences
August 2015 – Planning Submitted
December 2015 – ABP Oral Hearing
April 2016 – Planning Approved
Summer 2016 – Construction commences
2018 – Transition to Paediatric OPD and Urgent Care Centres at Tallaght and Connolly Hospitals commences
2020 – New children’s hospital opens on a shared campus with St James’s Hospital
Background
The new children’s hospital on a campus shared with St James’s Hospital is the most significant capital investment project ever undertaken in healthcare in Ireland. Its completion will result in better clinical outcomes, improved survival rates for the sickest children and young people and will significantly enhance the experience of service for children, young people and their families.
It will bring together the three existing children’s hospitals; Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital, and the National Children’s Hospital at Tallaght Hospital, under the one roof for the first time.
The new children’s hospital will be a world-class facility providing secondary paediatric services for children living within the M50, and specialist services for the country as a whole. The Paediatric OPD and Urgent Care Centres at Tallaght and Connolly will provide secondary care to children in the Greater Dublin Area, outside of the M50.
Key Facts about the new children’s hospital building
Seven storeys tall at its height with the majority of the building sitting at four storeys
380 single in-patient rooms
42 beds in critical care unit
18 neonatal critical care units
Full details are available at www.nchplanning.ie and www.newchildrenshospital.ie
