Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 December 2014
127. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Health the schedule being followed in respect of development of the proposed ambulatory care centre at Tallaght Hospital, Dublin 24; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47419/14]
View answerFollowing the announcement on 6 November 2012 that the new children's hospital was to be located on the St James’s campus, a review of the previous plan for an Ambulatory and Urgent Care Centre at Tallaght was undertaken. In January 2014 the Minister for Health announced that following this review, two satellite centres of the new children's hospital would be developed, one at Tallaght Hospital and a second at Connolly Hospital. These centres will support the children’s hospital in the provision of secondary paediatric care for the region and enhance the interface with primary care by local access to emergency and local access to OPD general paediatric services, including rapid access clinics, for local children and young people. Each centre will provide consultant-delivered urgent care, and secondary outpatient services including rapid access general paediatric clinics. The centres will be under the governance of the new children’s hospital, with staff of the main hospital rotating through the centres
Design work on the satellite centres is now commencing, with the aim of submitting a planning application for the centres as part of the overall new children's hospital planning application in June 2015. Subject to planning, work will commence at all three sites in January 2016. Transition of services to the satellite centres is expected to commence in April 2017.
