merrion street

Minister for Health, Simon Harris TD has announced that the planning application for the new National Maternity Hospital will be submitted today (Friday, 10 March 2017), following the recent determination by An Bord Pleanála that the proposed development of the new hospital on the St Vincent’s campus constitutes a Strategic Infrastructure Development.

Speaking from a visit to the site at St Vincent’s with Dr Rhona Mahony & Mr James Menton, Chairman of St Vincent's University Hospital, the Minister said:

“I am delighted to confirm that a planning application for the new National Maternity Hospital will be submitted to An Bord Pleanála today. I am passionate about improving the safety and quality of our maternity services. The lodgement of the planning application is a milestone in the development of the future infrastructure we want for our maternity services so today is a landmark day. The National Maternity Strategy is titled Creating a Better Future Together and that is exactly what we are doing through this project. We are going to provide women with an appropriate environment where they can deliver their babies in safety, in comfort, and with their privacy respected.

“In welcoming the progression of the project to planning stage, I have to commend both the NMH and St Vincent’s University Hospital for their commitment to the project and their tireless efforts to finalise the planning application following the successful conclusion of mediation talks late last year.”

The project constitutes the largest single investment ever to be made in maternity services in Ireland. The new development will cater for up to 10,000 births per annum and will include state of the art obstetrics and gynaecology care facilities, including: 5 Operating Theatres; 50 Neonatal Intensive Care and Special Care single cot rooms; 24 Delivery rooms; Emergency and Out-patient Departments; Ultrasound facilities; and single in-patient rooms throughout.

The development will also include the provision of enhanced facilities for shared services for the overall campus including: catering/canteen facilities; purchasing/stores; and waste management facilities. Additionally, a number of displaced St Vincent’s University Hospital facilities will be re-provided as part of the project.