merrion street

Important step on the road to making the new children's hospital a reality

Minister for Health, Simon Harris, today announced the Government’s approval for the publication of the Children’s Health Bill 2018.

The Minister said

“I am very pleased that Government has approved the publication of this significant Bill. With this legislation, we take yet another important step on our way towards the new children’s hospital. I look forward to bringing this important Bill before the Houses as soon as possible.”

The Bill provides for the establishment of a single statutory entity, Children’s Health Ireland to provide paediatric services and take over the services currently provided by the existing three Dublin children’s hospitals, Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital, and the National Children’s Hospital at Tallaght University Hospital. In addition to providing secondary and tertiary paediatric healthcare services, the new entity will be the lead centre for paediatric education and training, as well as, research and innovation in Ireland and be the centre of a clinical network for paediatric services.

The new entity will initially oversee the complex work of integrating the staff and services of three hospitals in Dublin which it will run as a single service, initially on the existing hospital sites and in due course in the new hospital and centres being developed. The main hospital on a campus shared with St James’s Hospital will be completed by late-2022, and the Paediatric Outpatients & Urgent Care Centres will open in 2019 at Connolly, and 2020 at Tallaght.

The Minister said

“I want to thank Dr Jim Browne, Chair of the Children’s Hospital Group, and his fellow Board members, as well as Seán Sheehan, Liam Dowdall, Turlough O’Sullivan, Chairs/Vice Chair of the three children’s hospitals, their Boards and hospital executives for their leadership work and support to establish this legal entity for the new hospital. It will facilitate the ongoing operational and cultural integration of the three hospitals in advance of the move to the new hospital on the campus shared with St James’s Hospital and the opening of the two paediatric outpatient and urgent care centres on the campuses of Connolly and Tallaght hospitals, beginning next year."