Bernard Durkan
Question:225. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the progress in respect of the construction of the new children’s hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6619/18]
View answerThursday, 8 February 2018
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The new children’s hospital is the most significant capital investment in healthcare in the history of the State and the project is an extraordinary opportunity to enhance paediatric services for children. The new children’s hospital facilities at the St James’s campus along with the Out Patient Departments (OPD) and urgent care centres (UCC) at Connolly and at Tallaght will be a research-intensive academic healthcare institution. The establishment of the new children’s hospital also provides a unique opportunity to introduce a new model of care for all paediatric services to help tackle current and future challenges in child health and to deliver on the huge advances that are possible in children’s healthcare.
In August 2016 , a decant programme commenced on the 12 acre site of the new children’s hospital as part of the enabling works contract. May 2017 marked the commencement of the main construction works. Main construction works are progressing well, the site at St James's Hospital is now fully cleared and main construction works such as basement excavation, piling, diverting the Drimnagh sewer and building a utility tunnel for the campus are continuing. Also being developed are the two new Paediatric Outpatient and Urgent Care Centres at Connolly Hospital and at Tallaght Hospital. The official sod-turning ceremony for the centre at Connolly Hospital took place last October. The Paediatric Outpatients and Urgent Care Centre at Connolly will open in 2019 followed by the second one at Tallaght in 2020 in advance of the opening of the main hospital in 2022.