Niall Collins
Ceist:180. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Health his plans for the future delivery of paediatric hospital services at Tallaght Hospital. [4408/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 29 January 2014
Ceisteanna (180)
Freagraí scríofa
The new children's hospital, when built, will bring together Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin, Children's University Hospital Temple Street and the paediatric service at Tallaght Hospital in one state-of-the-art facility on the campus of St James's Hospital. A single national children's hospital, co-located with St James’s and, ultimately, tri-located with a maternity hospital, will provide the excellence in clinical care that our children deserve.
As part of previous plans for the new children's hospital on the campus of the Mater Hospital, it had been intended that there would be an ambulatory and urgent care centre on the campus of Tallaght Hospital. Following the Government decision in November 2012 to locate the main new children's hospital at St James's, a review of the ambulatory and urgent care centre plan was undertaken. This has now been completed and yesterday I announced that satellite centres of the new children's hospital would be developed on the campuses of Tallaght Hospital and of Connolly Hospital.
As well as being a national tertiary hospital for more complex care, the new children's hospital is a regional hospital for children in the Greater Dublin Area. These satellite centres will be an integral part of the hospital, under the same governance and management, providing the same clinical standards and with the same staff who will rotate through the main hospital and the satellite centres. Each centre will provide consultant-delivered urgent care, with observation beds (up to 6 hours stay) and appropriate diagnostics (X-ray and laboratory). The vast majority of children and young people attending the centre are expected to be treated and discharged. In addition to providing local access for urgent care, the centres will also provide local access to outpatient care, including general paediatric rapid access clinics for GP referral.
The announcement of these satellite centres marks another important milestone for the new children' s hospital, further ensuring that we will deliver better outcomes for our children and young people, well into the future.