Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

I recently signed an order establishing the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board on a statutory basis. The development board held its inaugural meeting last Monday.

The principal functions of the board will be to plan, design, build, furnish and equip the new National Paediatric Hospital in accordance with a brief to be approved by the Health Service Executive. The brief will set out the preferred model of care, the core services to be delivered at the new hospital, and the additional range of services to be provided in an urgent and ambulatory care setting, taking account of international best practice.

The HSE is being advised in this context by Rawlinson Kelly & Whittlestone Ltd., RKW, an established UK-based health care planning company. In finalising its work RKW, together with a panel of international advisers, has arranged a series of meetings later this week with key stakeholders, including the three paediatric hospitals.

I am aware that the position on the provision of paediatric services at Tallaght has been a matter of concern for the hospital and the local community. I was therefore pleased to confirm recently, that a major ambulatory care centre at Tallaght will be advanced as part of the initial phase of the new paediatric hospital's development. The ambulatory care centre at Tallaght will offer a comprehensive and wide range of services to children, including an urgent care service, a major expansion in outpatient services and a significantly increased day surgery service.

This followed an analysis of the current location of major paediatric populations in the catchment area for the new hospital and the need to minimise the travel time for children requiring access to such services. Most attendees at the existing children's accident and emergency unit at Tallaght do not require admission and will continue to access their care at the ambulatory care centre.

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