Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 October 2019
14. Deputy Stephen Donnelly asked the Minister for Health if a design team has been appointed for the relocation of the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital to the St. James’s site; if so, the progress made to date including the funding has been allocated in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41263/19]
View answerIn line with best international practice, it is Government policy, as set out in the National Maternity Strategy 2016-2026, that stand-alone maternity hospitals should be co-located with acute adult hospitals. The national maternity strategy, the first ever national maternity strategy in Ireland - it baffles me that we never had one before - reaffirms the commitment to tri-location of maternity, paediatric and acute adult hospital services on the St. James's site campus by relocating the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital to the campus following the development of the new children’s hospital. The development of the maternity hospital on this site is acknowledged as a key service objective by the principal stakeholders in order to provide the infrastructure to support implementation of the national maternity strategy.
All capital development proposals, including the relocation of the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital to the St. James’s site, must progress through a number of approval stages, in line with the public spending code, including detailed appraisal, planning, design and procurement, before funding for each stage can be confirmed.
A site capacity study was undertaken to demonstrate in general terms that the overall St. James’s campus has the ability to accommodate the proposed maternity hospital facilities and achieve the intended configuration. This capacity study was included in the planning application documents for the children’s hospital. It identifies a location on the campus for development, and the likely decant and enabling works requirement.
The recently published HSE capital plan provides for the project brief to be progressed as part of the strategic assessment stage. The appointment of a design team will be considered on completion of the project brief and the assessment stage.
To cut through all of that, although Deputy Donnelly and myself go hammer and tongs at each other on some issues, he made a valid point on this, namely, that we should be doing some of the preparatory work for the Coombe to move to St. James's while the children's hospital is being built. I do not disagree with that. In the HSE capital plan that was recently published, we decided to go ahead and appoint a project brief team. Once it concludes its work, we should then be in a position to consider the appointment of a design team. I am very favourably disposed towards this. When the project brief is concluded, I will come back and interact with Deputy Donnelly further on it.
I thank the Minister. It is a sensible suggestion from Deputy Donnelly that the preparatory work would be put in place so that, when the Coombe proceeds to move to the St. James's site, it would be ready to proceed as quickly as possible. The national maternity strategy is a good strategy but there are concerns there is a lack of progress in the implementation of that strategy.
