Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 January 2022
1597. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Health further to recent media pronouncements from a company (details supplied) that the new national children’s hospital structure is largely completed and is soon to progress to commissioning works, the final build expenditure to date before decommissioning module; the expected cost of commissioning the new hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1068/22]
View answerThe new children’s hospital (NCH) project comprises the main hospital on a shared campus at St James’s, and two paediatric Outpatient and Urgent Care Centres at Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, and Tallaght University Hospital.
In September 2021, the main contractor on the NCH project, BAM Ireland, substantially completed and handed over the paediatric outpatient and urgent care centre at Tallaght University Hospital in line with the contractor's schedule, and the facility opened on 15 November 2021, following a period of operational commissioning. The new facility will accommodate up to 17,000 outpatient and 25,000 emergency care attendances per year.
Together with CHI@ Connolly, which opened in July 2019, these new facilities will improve access to urgent and outpatient care for a significant number of children. More than 95% of those presenting for urgent care at Connolly are able to go home after treatment and waiting lists for general paediatrics significantly reduced within a year of opening.
On the St James’s site, work is ongoing with major milestones reached in 2021, including completion of the concrete frame with over 150,000 cubic metres of concrete poured (weighing over 360,000 tonnes), the topping out of the building (where the highest point on the building was completed- a significant milestone in any construction project), the infill concrete slabs over the steelwork frame, closing in the concourse and, by the end of 2021, the building was almost weather-tight with approximately 17,000 square metres of glazing and 5,800 square metres of external façade installed. In addition, to date, 86,000 square metres of internal partitions have been installed with the fit out of most internal areas now underway, including the south fingers comprising Outpatients, Cardiology Wards, and Therapies spaces, and the ‘Hot Block’ comprising Emergency Department, Critical Care and Theatres.
The exterior of the building demonstrates the significant progress made on the project to date, however, the fit out and installation of services in over 6,000 spaces within the building mean that there remains a substantially body of work to be completed on the project before commissioning works can begin.
In 2018, Government approved a capital budget of €1.433bn for the NCH project. This included the capital costs for the main hospital at St James's Hospital campus, the two Outpatient Department and urgent care centres at Connolly and Tallaght campuses, equipment for the three sites, and the construction of the carpark and retail spaces.
There are a number of items not included in this investment figure as there was no price certainly for them and nor can there be, for some, for the duration of the project. These include construction inflation, the impact of Covid-19, statutory changes, any change in scope resulting in healthcare policy changes, and the Employment Order.
As of the end of 2021, €877m of the €1.433bn budget has been drawn down for works on the project across the three sites.
Additional costs in relation to the integration and transfer of the services of the three children’s hospitals to the new sites brings the total programme cost to €1.73 billion. This includes investment in ICT, including a new Electronic Health Record system, the Children's Hospital Integration Programme (the merging of three paediatric hospitals) including commissioning, pre-2013 project expenditure relating to the former Mater project, and the planned construction of the Children’s Research and Innovation Centre to be funded through philanthropic funding. The costs of both technical and operational commissioning are encompassed within the overall 1.73bn figure.
