Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)

I am replying on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Harney, the Minister for Health and Children. I thank Deputies Crowe and O'Connor for raising this matter on the Adjournment.

In late 2005, the Health Service Executive, at the Minister's request, undertook a review of tertiary paediatric services. McKinsey and Company were engaged by the HSE to advise on the future strategic organisation of tertiary paediatric services in line with best practice and in the best interests of children.

The resulting report, "Children's Health First — International best practice in tertiary paediatric services: implications for the strategic organisation of tertiary paediatric services in Ireland", included a number of key recommendations. It stated that the population and projected demands in this country can support only one world class tertiary paediatric hospital, and that this hospital should be in Dublin and should ideally be co-located with a leading adult academic hospital, that is, should be within walking distance of such a hospital. It should also provide all the secondary, namely, less complex, hospital needs of children in the greater Dublin area. It should be supported by a strategically located urgent care service.

A joint HSE-Department of Health and Children task group was established in February 2006 to advise on the optimum location of the proposed new hospital. The task group recommended that the new national paediatric hospital be developed on a site to be made available by the Mater Hospital. This recommendation was endorsed by the board of the HSE in June 2006. At its meeting on 8 June 2006, the Government strongly endorsed the recommendation of the board of the HSE, in line with the recommendation of the report of the task group, that the new national paediatric hospital be developed as an independent hospital on a site to be made available by the Mater Hospital. The Government subsequently reaffirmed this decision.

The Government also mandated the HSE to move forward with the development of the new hospital and its associated urgent care centres and to explore any philanthropic proposals in respect of its development. A joint HSE-Department of Health and Children transition group was subsequently established to advance the development of the national paediatric hospital.

The current stage of the process, which is being overseen by the transition group, involves the preparation of a high level framework brief for the new hospital. This brief is being developed for the transition group by Rawlinson Kelly & Whittlestone Limited, RKW, an established UK-based health care planning company. RKW will be advising on a range of issues which will help to inform the design of the new hospital. For example, it will advise on the preferred model of care, the core services to be delivered at the new hospital and the additional range of services to be provided outside the main hospital through the urgent ambulatory care service, taking account of international best practice in the planning of children's hospital services. Children attending an urgent care centre who need to be admitted to hospital will be transferred to the new hospital for secondary or tertiary care.

The report specifically stated that 85% to 90% of children presenting to accident and emergency units do not require to be admitted to hospital and, in the circumstances, it can be anticipated that children attending an urgent care centre associated with the new national paediatric hospital will continue to be treated at the centre and discharged home.

To date, no decision has been taken in respect of the range of services to be provided at the National Children's Hospital in Tallaght in the context of the development of the national paediatric hospital and its associated urgent ambulatory care centres.

RKW has engaged in an extensive consultation process in the course of its work, including consultations with the National Children's Hospital in Tallaght and the other children's hospitals in Dublin, and its report is expected to be completed this month.

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