Temple Street welcomes Government’s approval of Children’s Health Bill to establish single legal entity to run new children’s hospital
Tuesday August 29th, 2017: The Boards and Executives of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital, Tallaght Hospital and the Children’s Hospital Group (CHG) today welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Health of the approval of Government of the General Scheme for the Children’s Health Bill 2017. The Children’s Health Bill will provide for the establishment of a new entity in which the three children’s hospitals and the Children’s Hospital Group will come together.
Currently, the three children’s hospitals operate as separate entities that are independently governed. The three children’s hospitals have voluntarily agreed to merge into a new single legal entity providing services in their existing facilities, before transitioning to the new children’s hospital on a campus shared with St James’s Hospital and to the two paediatric outpatient and urgent care centres at Connolly and Tallaght Hospitals. The delivery of the new facilities and the amalgamation of staff from the three children’s hospitals and the Children’s Hospital Group will positively transform paediatric healthcare and deliver improved clinical outcomes for Ireland’s sickest children and young people for future generations to come.
The Chairs/Vice Chairs of the Children’s Hospital Group Board, Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Temple Street Children’s University Hospital and Tallaght Hospital; Dr Jim Browne, Mr Turlough O’Sullivan, Mr Sean Sheehan and Mr Liam Dowdall jointly stated:
“We are delighted that the legislation to create this new body is being progressed. While bringing three hospitals together is a complex challenge, it is an extraordinary opportunity to enhance local paediatric services in Dublin as well as enhancing highly specialist paediatric services nationally. The voluntary merger of the three hospitals is primarily driven by our common objective to deliver a single service with all specialties under one roof in the new children’s hospital as this will deliver better clinical outcomes for the sickest children and young people. In advance of the move to the new facilities we also acknowledge the effort needed to guide and support our staff in the clinical, operational and cultural integration of the three hospitals.”
The work to standardise, integrate and safely transition clinical, non-clinical and corporate services provided by the three hospitals has begun in advance of the legal establishment of the new entity and the move to the new facilities, and will continue on a phased basis until such time as the new services are operational. This will ensure that services are delivered safely, efficiently and effectively and as part of a clinical network of paediatric services. The three hospital Boards have worked with the Children’s Hospital Group Board and the Department of Health in a collaborative approach to develop the proposed legislation.
