Staff make the move to new hospital site

A TOTAL of 80 staff working with the Children’s Hospital Group and the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board have relocated from their offices on the St James’s Hospital Campus to the F2 Centre in Fatima.

With the first phase of construction now underway on the site of the new children’s hospital on a campus shared with St James’s Hospital, public representatives, community leaders, city council officials and other residents of the F2 Centre joined the staff to mark the move. 

The F2 Centre was established in 2010 as part of the physical, social and economic regeneration of Fatima Mansions. The role that the new children’s hospital will play in the regeneration of Dublin 8 was highlighted and celebrated at the event. 

Eilísh Hardiman, CEO of the Children’s Hospital Group, said: “The new children’s hospital is the most significant investment in a healthcare project in the history of the State and it’s very important to us that the local community benefits from having the hospital as a neighbour, now and for generations to come.” 

John Pollock, Project Director of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board, which is responsible for designing, building and equipping the new children’s hospital, added: “We have been working with community groups since the start of the planning process to ensure that the local community is involved in the development of the hospital.

“We have a full-time Community Benefit Programme Manager on our staff who is working to deliver on our ambitions to deliver tangible benefits for the local community.”

The first phase of construction on the site of the new children’s hospital began in August 2016.

The NPHDB is currently reviewing and evaluating the tenders for the main and specialist contractors for the new children’s hospital and for the two paediatric OPD and urgent care centres at Tallaght Hospital and Connolly Hospitals, which have also received planning permission. Once this process is complete, and subject to Government approval, the main contractor will be appointed and works will commence early this year.