Written answers

Wednesday, 31 January 2007

Department of Health and Children

National Children's Hospital

8:00 am

Photo of Finian McGrathFinian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 782: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will progress the children's hospital at the Mater site. [1839/07]

Photo of Mary HarneyMary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The objective of this Government is to ensure the provision of a world-class hospital to serve the children of this country. It was for this reason, and for no other, that the Government strongly endorsed the recommendation of the Joint Task Group and the decision of the Board of the Health Service Executive to locate the new National Paediatric Hospital on a site to be made available by the Mater Hospital. The decision to proceed with the development at the Mater has recently been reaffirmed by the Government.

The next stage of the process, which is being overseen by a joint Department of Health and Children/Health Service Executive Transition Group, involves the preparation of a high level framework brief for the new hospital. The brief is being developed for the Transition Group by Rawlinson Kelly & Whittlestone Ltd (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. They will be advising, for example, on the preferred model of care, on the core services to be delivered at the new hospital, and on the additional range of services to be provided outside of the main hospital. RKW have also been requested to advise, as a priority, on the range of services which should be provided outside of the main hospital through the urgent / ambulatory care service, taking account of international best practice in the planning of children's hospital services.

RKW will be consulting widely in the course of its work, and the input of stakeholders will be of benefit in ensuring the delivery of our shared objective of providing a world-class hospital for the children of this country.

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