David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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14. To ask the Minister for Health the details of workforce preparedness for opening the new children's hospital; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34745/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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This new hospital will be state of the art and will have an impact on children, young people, and their families in Ireland for decades to come.

It will be the hub in a network of care across the country, working with the regional paediatric units in Cork, Galway, and Limerick and the local paediatric units. This approach will ensure that children and young people can receive care as close to home as possible, as envisaged by Sláintecare.

Discussions between my Department, the HSE, and CHI are at an advanced stage in terms of finalising the workforce requirements for the new children’s hospital.

Given that there will be expanded services in the new hospital such as the neonatal ICU service, the CAMHS beds, as well as the increased numbers of theatres and procedure rooms; there is agreement that this will have an impact on the workforce required for the hospital.

I can assure the Deputy that talks are near conclusion following which any additional staffing will be sought as part of annual national service planning.

We are also focusing on the longer view. We are looking at what our workforce needs over the next number of years to develop a system that is integrated, patient centred, and built around the needs of every child and their families.

In addition to workforce discussions, CHI is ensuring workforce preparedness through formal staff engagements, which started in March 2023. Between then and January this year, over 2,600 staff attended a variety of events including immersive engagement sessions, workshops, and site visits.

The commissioning team is focused on engagement with clinical and operational staff with approximately 200 engagement meetings conducted in 2025 to date. Invaluable subject matter expertise has contributed to important decisions relating to the future operations of the new hospital.