Ms Fiona Prendergast:

I thank the committee for inviting officials from the Department of Health to join representatives of the NPHDB and CHI to provide the committee with an update on the progress of the new children’s hospital project. I am acting director in the health infrastructure division of the Department of Health and I am joined by my colleague, Mr. Eamonn Quinn, principal officer for major capital projects.

The new children’s hospital project is the most significant capital investment programme ever undertaken in Ireland’s healthcare system. The development of the new children’s hospital is a Government priority project and will bring together the services currently provided at three children’s hospitals into a modern, custom designed, world-class, digital hospital to deliver the best care and treatments for Ireland’s sickest children. The project comprises the new children’s hospital at St. James’s Hospital as well as outpatient and urgent care centres located at Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown and Tallaght University Hospital. The construction project is only one part of three interrelated elements of the NCH programme for the delivery of a new paediatric model of care in Ireland, the others being the ICT infrastructure and the operational integration of the three existing children’s hospitals.

Despite the obvious challenges the Covid-19 pandemic has imposed on us, significant progress has been made on the project. Mr. Gunning and his colleagues will speak to the specifics, but the distinctive shape of the building is becoming clear. The fit-out of certain internal areas has begun, with rooms and clinical areas now discernible. On a recent site visit, we got a real sense of how welcoming an environment it will be for children, their families and CHI's staff, with plenty of natural light and breakout spaces in addition to the world-class health facilities. It is clear that this is not just a hospital. It is effectively a new village to provide for Ireland’s sickest children, their families and the healthcare professionals who will care for them. There will be gardens, recreational facilities, a school for the patients and a university campus for future health care professionals. One of most impressive aspects for the team was the seemingly endless corridor on the theatre level, which will be home to 22 world-class theatres and the respective preparation and ante rooms. With the mock-ups of how the various rooms will be completed, there is a tangible sense of the positive clinical care experiences that patients and their families will have in the new hospital. We encourage members of the committee to accept the development board’s invitation to visit the site and see the vision being realised.

The paediatric outpatient and urgent care centre at Connolly Hospital opened in July 2019. Ms Hardiman of CHI will speak further to the benefits that have been realised for paediatric care, but a 65% reduction in the waiting list for general paediatrics within a year of opening, despite the challenges of the pandemic, speaks volumes. The second satellite centre at Tallaght University Hospital will open before the end of this year. This opening of the second of the three new campuses will be another important milestone in the NCH programme and in the delivery of children’s health services.

The Department acknowledges the responsibilities and duties of the committee and the interest of members in the timeline and projected costs for the completion of the project. However, there is a live contract in place and ongoing commercially sensitive engagements between the NPHDB and BAM. The development board representatives will speak to the programme supplied by BAM but, given the ongoing commercial engagements, a definitive update on costs cannot be provided as it would be inappropriate and very likely detrimental to the project to speculate on those. The NPHDB and BAM are currently working together to identify and work through possible obstacles to the timely completion of the project. This is very much welcomed by the Department.

While there is demonstrable progress, there are also challenges. However, many of these are not specific to this project. We are still in the midst of a global pandemic. While work on NCH sites continued through the lockdown earlier this year, NPHET is advising that we should expect a significant wave of Delta transmission and we must anticipate the many challenges this pandemic will continue to present. Indeed, the wider construction industry is challenged by supply chain issues and dramatic price increases. This was reflected in the recent national economic dialogue, where it was noted that the pandemic and Brexit are impacting the economy, productivity and creating bottlenecks in supply. These challenges face the NCH project as well and, notwithstanding the commercial sensitivities, make speculation and definitive forecasting of costs and timelines even more unwise. Nevertheless, reflecting the positives, we now have paediatric outpatient and urgent care being delivered at Connolly Hospital, a site at St. James's that is progressing well, with constructive engagement between the development board and the main contractor, and a new paediatric outpatient facility coming online later this year.