Professor Chris Fitzpatrick:

The decision in the McKinsey report was that the children's hospital should co-locate onto an adult campus and the tri-location model was the ideal model to aspire towards. The initial expressions of interest in the children's hospital in 2006 favoured its location on an adult hospital site. Shortly after, due to representation by the children's hospitals and by the maternity hospitals, that was opened to include the provision of a maternity hospital. In regard to the Mater project, it was a tri-location of the Mater hospital, the children's hospital and the Rotunda Hospital. In regard to the St. James's Hospital project, it was the Coombe, St. James's Hospital and the children's hospital. Every adult hospital that pitched to have the children's hospital on its site emphasised the importance of having a maternity hospital there. The St. James's Hospital pitch for it included space for a maternity hospital with a footprint that would deliver a hospital of 42,000 sq. m., which was significant. It was an important issue. The reason it was not included in the planning permission at that time was, perhaps, cost and a little bit of fear in relation to making it too complex. The Coombe does not have the same punching power as the adult hospitals. It is their site and the Coombe is moving on-site and so we do not have control over what is happening. Unfortunately, despite our very good relationship with St. James's Hospital I think we were sidelined in relation to it and sidelined also by politicians. The problem with this project is that there are so many recriminations in relation to it. The past is the past and we need to learn from the experience. We need to bring people together to sort this out.