Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 February 2022
603. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health when construction of the new national children's hospital is expected to be completed; the costs associated with construction to date; the projected costs of the completed project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5831/22]
View answerThe new children’s hospital (NCH) project comprises the main new 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 in Tallaght 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 additional outpatient appointments (General Paediatrics, Specialist and Orthopaedic clinics) and we expect to see more than 25,000 Emergency Care attendances annually based on 2021 activity.
Together with the first satellite centre, “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 means 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 satellite centres, 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.
To date, €923 million of the €1.433 billion 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, and pre-2013 project expenditure relating to the former Mater project.
The NPHDB has advised that the main contractor’s current programme schedule outlines completion can be achieved by December 2023 which would mean the NCH at St James’s could open in the second half of 2024, after the necessary commissioning period. The NPHDB is working to ensure that contractor will meet its own schedule.
