Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 115: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will ensure that resources are made available without delay to Crumlin Children's Hospital, Dublin, to provide adequate additional ICU beds, thus avoiding cancellation of vital operations and long waiting lists for sick children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39239/09]

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 153: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will take action to accelerate the provision of new ICU beds in Our Lady's Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin, in order that children waiting for urgent operations can be accommodated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39297/09]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 174: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if her attention has been drawn to the fact that in excess of 150 children are awaiting heart surgery at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin, Dublin and the delay in such surgery is placing many of these children at serious risk and that many of these children are suffering a diminished quality of life; the action she will take to ensure those children receive the surgery they require without further delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39445/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 115, 153 and 174 together.

I am very conscious of the importance of providing high quality services across all three children's hospitals in Dublin - Crumlin, Temple Street and Tallaght. All three hospitals prioritise their services in accordance with clinical need.

Careful planning of critical care services, including those for cardiac patients, is vital. To this end, the HSE commissioned the DNV Consortium management consultancy to review current paediatric critical care facilities and services in Our Lady's Children's Hospital and the Children's University Hospital, Temple Street with a view to developing paediatric intensive care services in the period leading up to the opening of the new national paediatric hospital.

The Irish Paediatric Critical Care network has been established by the HSE with an independent chair to progress the report's recommendations. Additional revenue funding has been allocated to the hospitals this year to commence the implementation of these recommendations. Three new posts of consultant paediatric intensivists have been approved recently.

The HSE has committed to progressing a capital development at Our Lady's Hospital Crumlin to secure additional high quality critical care beds at the hospital as quickly as possible. It must also be stressed that the provision of additional ICU beds is an interim measure pending the completion of the new National Paediatric Hospital, which will combine the services provided by the three paediatric hospitals in Dublin.

The HSE has committed to replacing 13 of Crumlin Hospital's existing ICU beds and to introduce 4 new ICU beds, within 18 months. This will bring the total number of ICU beds at the hospital to 25. The design allows for the provision of an additional 5 ICU beds, subject to approval. A tender for design consultancy services relating to this project has recently been approved. The project team has already met the design team to advance the project in as short a time frame as possible.

The HSE and Crumlin Hospital are examining options to address the current cardiac waiting list service need in advance of the new ICU project being completed.