Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 168: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her plans for Our Lady's Hospital Crumlin following her statement that the new Children's hospital is to be located at a site at the Mater Hospital; if she has satisfied herself that the proposed site is the most appropriate in view of the concerns expressed by many interested parties that the site and location are unsuitable; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30074/07]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 188: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the position in regard to the proposed location of the Children's Hospital; the extent to which the proposals have been tested under the various headings applicable under such circumstances; if contracts have been signed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30284/07]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 168 and 188 together.

I have no plans to review the decision to locate the new National Paediatric Hospital on a site to be made available at the Mater Hospital, Dublin. On 31 October last, the Health Service Executive announced the details of the High Level Framework Brief for the new hospital. The Brief was prepared by Rawlinson, Kelly and Whittlestone Limited, an established UK-based health care planning company. The content of the report was also informed by the views of a range of international experts, including architectural, clinical and nursing experts. The Brief sets out the recommended model of care, the core services to be delivered at the new hospital, and the additional range of services to be provided outside of the main hospital through an Ambulatory/Urgent Care Service. It will help to inform the work of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board in planning, designing, building and equipping the new hospital. The Brief includes a detailed assessment of the capacity of the Mater Hospital site to accommodate the space requirements of the new hospital, and a maternity hospital, to meet expected demand up to 2021. The analysis indicates that all the requirements can be accommodated on the site, and still allow expansion capacity beyond 2021. The analysis found that the site offers a development area of 140,000 square metres. The overall space requirement for core services at the new hospital is 90,000 square metres. When ancillary services including Education, Training, Research, Medical Genetics and Parents Accommodation are included, the total requirement is 103,600 square metres. There is also sufficient space to comfortably accommodate a new maternity hospital on-site.

The total projected bed requirement for the hospital to 2021 ranges from 352 to 454 beds. The estimated space requirements for the hospital have been calculated based on the upper range of bed numbers. The Brief includes provision for all in-patients to be accommodated in single en-suite rooms, allows for the provision of on-site accommodation for parents and families, and allows for education, training and research facilities to be developed on-site. The Hospital will be at the centre of a national paediatric network, linked to regional and local hospitals, and to primary and community care services, through outreach, telemedicine, joint appointments and staff rotation. A network of Ambulatory and Urgent Care Centres (A/UCCs) will be established, to be operated by the new hospital. The first of these will be developed at Tallaght. The development of the National Paediatric Hospital will involve the transfer of services from the three existing children's hospitals in Dublin. My Department is advised that the site occupied by Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin is held in trust by the Board of the hospital.