Report finds new children’s hospital will transform D8

AN INDEPENDENT report into the decision to locate the new national children’s hospital on a campus shared with St James’s Hospital has found that there will be a wide range of benefits for the local community.

The Ernest Young (EY) study was commissioned by a Community Benefits Oversight Group, which was established by the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) and the Children’s Hospital Group (CHG), to see how the €650 million investment could be maximised in the short, medium and long term for the local community.

The EY ‘Harnessing the Potential’ report found that there are a wide range of areas in which the local community will benefit.

As well as  2,000 construction and 300 jobs in services that will be created during the construction phase, a total of 3,700 national children’s hospital employees will join 4,000 St James’s Hospital employees on the growing medical campus – bringing more employment and expenditure into the area.

The report found that visitors and patients will also create local demand, while education and training supports will be tailored to help people in the area acquire skills that will be required by the hospital.

The report also suggests residents in Dublin 8 and some areas of Dublin 12 will benefit from a focused approach to create a ‘healthy community’.

The planning application for the new children’s hospital was submitted to An Bord Pleanála in August 2015 and a decision is expected from February 2016.

The new children’s hospital is the largest and most significant capital investment project ever undertaken in healthcare in Ireland.

It will bring together the three existing children’s hospitals; Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital, and the National Children’s Hospital at Tallaght Hospital.

The hospital will be co-located on one campus with St James’s Hospital and in time, tri-located with the Coombe maternity hospital.

It is envisaged that the new children’s hospital will be a world-class facility providing secondary paediatric services for the greater Dublin area, and specialist services for the country as a whole.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Críona Ní Dhálaigh said the new hospital will be a significant investment for the children of Ireland and an opportunity for the people of Dublin.

“This is the largest health infrastructure investment in the history of the State,” she said.

“This first report, by EY, is a hugely promising demonstration of what can be achieved by this wide cohort of stakeholders. I look forward to supporting the implementation of this plan.”

The Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar, added: “The new children’s hospital is the biggest investment in a healthcare project in the history of the State. It will bring huge benefits for sick children and teenagers. But I want to ensure that the local community also benefits.

“This is a once-in-a-life time opportunity for the Dublin 8 community and it’s right that everyone is working together to ensure that the vision is realised.” 

Gordon Jeyes, Chairman of the Community Benefits Oversight Group, said they had looked at best practice across the globe to identify the positive impact that an investment of this size can have on a community.

John Pollock, Project Director, NPHDB said: “Creating awareness to the local community about the socio economic benefits of having a world-class hospital in their neighbourhood is an important priority for this project.”