Madam, - Since the HSE's announcement earlier this year, the Council for Children's Hospital's Care (CCHC) has strongly welcomed the decision to develop a new national paediatric hospital.
This will entail bringing the three children's hospitals in Dublin into one new national hospital, which will secure first-class treatment for the children of Ireland long into the future.
The CCHC is the independent forum through which leaders of the three paediatric hospitals and a HSE representative meet monthly to foster closer working relationships, develop communications and improve the co-ordination of services for children in their care.
In recent weeks the press has focused on the fact that each hospital had a different view of the ideal site for the new hospital.
However, we want to point out that at another level a considerable amount of work has been undertaken by the hospitals through the council's sub-committees to provide a joint approach to improving services for children and their families. This is done through reports and proposals that are submitted to the HSE and the Department of Health and Children. For example, the most recent proposal is for a national paediatric transport service that is currently being considered by the HSE for funding in early 2007.
Consultants and staff at various levels in the hospitals give their time and expertise to this collaborative work facilitated by the CCHC.
We are writing this letter to inform the public that this collaborative work between the hospitals is already well under way and is preparing the way for the three children's hospitals coming together as a first-class national paediatric hospital. - Yours, etc,
Prof HELEN BURKE, Chair, HELEN BYRNE, Chief Officer, Council for Children's Hospitals' Care, Nutgrove Avenue, Dublin 14.