Written answers

Thursday, 17 July 2014

Department of Health

National Children's Hospital

Photo of Billy KelleherBilly Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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748. To ask the Minister for Health the number of parking spaces planned for the new children’s hospital; the way this compares by international standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32877/14]

Photo of Billy KelleherBilly Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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749. To ask the Minister for Health the latest timeframe for the completion of the children’s hospital project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32878/14]

Photo of Billy KelleherBilly Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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750. To ask the Minister for Health his views that the proposed location of the children’s hospital is the optimum one; his plans to review the decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32879/14]

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 748 to 750, inclusive, together.

The new children's hospital is a commitment in the Programme for Government. In November 2012 the Government announced its decision that the new children’s hospital will be co-located with St James’s on its campus, ensuring it benefits from the broadest possible range of adult sub-specialty expertise and research capability. The intention is ultimately to tri-locate adult, paediatric and maternity services on the campus. Satellite centres, which will share governance and staffing with the new children's hospital, will be built on the campuses of Tallaght and Connolly Hospitals.

The Government's decision was based on the over-riding priority of best clinical outcomes for our children. Tri-location of adult, paediatric and maternity services brings benefits for children, adolescents, newborns and mothers. In all cases, the benefits of tri-location are maximised where the adult hospital provides the broadest possible range of clinical sub-specialties and expertise, readily accessible for paediatric and maternity patients on the shared campus. In addition, tri-location that delivers the most significant depth and breadth of clinical and academic research on site will enhance the potential of research to drive best clinical outcomes. St James's Hospital is considered the best adult co-location partner for the new children's hospital, having broadest range of national specialties of all acute adult hospitals, as well as strong and well established research and education infrastructure.

The National Paediatric Hospital Development Board is the body responsible for planning, designing, building and equipping the hospital and has been actively progressing the project on the new site. The Project Brief for the hospital on the St James's campus has been agreed, a decant strategy for the site is in place and is actively being progressed, and a preferred design team has been selected and is expected to be appointed shortly. Design development will then begin with the aim of making a planning submission in February 2015. Transition of services is scheduled to commence at the end of 2018.

In order to establish the required number of car-parking spaces for the new children's hospital, a multi-factored approach was adopted, including a benchmarking exercise against existing children’s hospitals. This multi-factored approach resulted in a proposal for 1,000 carparking spaces. The figure will be validated following appointment of the Design Team.

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