merrion street

Health Minister Dr. James Reilly together with Minister Alex White and Minister Kathleen Lynch today announced the Government’s intention to relocate the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street, to the St. Vincent’s University Hospital Campus at Elm Park.

An indicative sum of €150 million has been approved the HSE’s Capital Plan to allow this project to proceed.

Making the announcement, the Minister said:

This project heralds a new and exciting chapter in maternity care for women and infants in Ireland. Mothers and babies have been assured of a quality service in Holles Street down through the years. Now they can be assured of the same service in a state of the art, custom built, modern health care facility, providing care to international standards in the most appropriate surroundings and with access to the facilities and staff of a major acute hospital; in short - the best care in the best environment.

The proposed relocation addresses a key recommendation in the 2008 KPMG Independent Review of Maternity and Gynaecology Services in the Greater Dublin Area Report that Dublin maternity hospitals should be located alongside adult acute services. Co-location of maternity hospitals with adult acute services is the optimal solution for the provision of hospital-based maternity services, as it can provide access to the full range of medical and surgical specialties and clinical support services in sufficient volume and complexity to provide added value. This is particularly important for high-risk mothers and babies.

Welcoming the announcement, Dr. Rhona Mahony, Master of the NMH Holles Street, said:

Our vision is to create an environment which facilitates clinical excellence so that women and infants attending the NMH receive the highest standard of care. Currently NMH is situated on Holles Street in an old building no longer fit for purpose. A new facility is urgently needed. The relocation of NMH will address this need and will achieve our strategic aim of close location with St. Vincent’s University Hospital. We look forward to working with the Minister, the Department of Health, the Health Service Executive and St. Vincent’s University Hospital to make this vision a reality.

Read the full press release

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