Dr. Emma Curtis:

There were a number of reasons it was decided to go with the two ambulatory and urgent care centres. First, were we to have closed the three Dublin children’s hospitals and have a single children’s hospital, we would have an emergency department with 134,000 attendances a year. Looking around the world, the largest hospital with annual attendances is Cincinnati children's hospital with 92,000 attendances a year. Attendances of 134,000 would have meant concentrating all of our emergency and urgent care attendances in one single department with an absolutely significant annual attendance. It would also mean that everybody would have to come to the same place. The reason for putting the urgent care centres in south-west and north-west Dublin is that these are populations with particularly high percentages of children and young people. We are bringing services to them. In the emergency department, 85% plus of children and young people who attend will be discharged home. Most people who attend urgent care and emergency centres are discharged. The urgent care centres are designed to see people with suitable conditions who have a local service. For example, they might have a sprained ankle but they are concerned that it is a break. They might have a fever, a rash or a tummy pain. They can be seen in a local centre to them and discharged home.

One of the philosophies behind avoiding admission is trying to deliver services close to people. As well as the urgent care centre which is supporting the emergency department in the main hospital, we will have outpatient services. There will be fracture clinics four days a week to support the urgent care centres.