Sir, – As the people who are at the forefront of delivering paediatric healthcare services in the three Dublin children’s hospitals, we were delighted and relieved when planning permission was granted in April for the new children’s hospital at St James’s Hospital and the two urgent care and outpatient department satellite centres at Tallaght and Connolly hospitals.
The delivery of these new facilities, and the bringing together of staff from the three children’s hospitals in a world-class building on a campus shared with St James’s Hospital, will positively transform and improve the healthcare that is delivered to children that need it the most.
Co-locating with one of Ireland’s leading hospitals – St James’s Hospital – is important because it ensures that our staff will be supported in the best possible way to deliver improved clinical outcomes for Ireland’s sickest children. This is what matters most to us, and to the families that we serve.
In time, the Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital will also be relocated to the same greater Dublin area campus – making the campus at St James’s Hospital an unrivalled campus of healthcare excellence and expertise.
There is no alternative hospital that would deliver the multiplicity of benefits to the children and young people in our care than St James’s Hospital.
It is recognised international best practice, from a clinical perspective, to locate children’s hospitals on the same campus as an adult teaching hospital with the breadth and depth of specialities to support complex paediatric services and a maternity hospital that provides service for high-risk mothers and babies. This is known as tri-location.
The tri-location of the new children’s hospital, St James’s Hospital and in time the relocated Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital will create a campus of clinical expertise to support highly specialist service delivery, research, innovation and education. The selection of this location by an expert group four years ago was the right decision and one that we support.
Ireland is finally getting the children’s hospital that young people, children and families so badly deserve. We are motivated to ensure that this happens, as planned and on schedule. We work with children and families in inappropriate conditions every day. We have committed our time and energy into ensuring that the design of the new children’s hospital meets their clinical and mental needs – ensuring that the facilities and the care are the best available anywhere in the world. The development team is just weeks away from getting started. We plan to be out there with them on this momentous day for Ireland. – Yours, etc,
Dr PETER GREALLY,
Group Clinical Director,
Children’s Hospital Group;
Dr CIARA MARTIN,
Clinical Director,
National Children’s
Hospital at Tallaght
Hospital;
SUZANNE DEMPSEY,
Chief Director of Nursing,
Children’s Hospital Group;
Dr SEAN WALSH,
Clinical Director,
Our Lady’s Children’s
Hospital, Crumlin;
Dr ADRIENNE FORAN,
Clinical Director,
Temple Street Children’s
University Hospital;
MARIAN CONNOLLY,
Director of Nursing,
National Children’s
Hospital, at Tallaght
Hospital;
GRAINNE BAUER,
Director of Nursing,
Temple Street Children’s
University Hospital;
RACHEL KENNA,
Director of Nursing,
Our Lady’s Children’s
Hospital, Crumlin.