Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 May 2026
1227. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Health if the bed capacity at Tallaght University Hospital has been impacted by the delay in the new National Children's Hospital being built; the annual cost to the hospital on these beds that have not yet been handed over from the paediatric side to the adult side; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37703/26]
View answerAs you are aware, the National Children’s Hospital Ireland (NCHI) is a key enabler in a major strategic reform of healthcare services for children and young people. It will bring together the three existing children’s hospitals into one, consolidating expertise and research excellence to ensure the best outcomes for the children of Ireland.
The timely completion of the NCHI is a Government priority. Substantial completion of the building is informed by the contractor’s programme of works and its ability to meet the targets set out in its own programme. The largest contributing factor to delay is the contractor's continued failure to adequately manage and resource the project and maintain effective quality assurance processes in the delivery of the works. On 6 May, the contractor submitted an updated programme, which the ER (the independent third party responsible for administering the contract) is reviewing to assess if it is compliant with the contract, and represents a meaningful and realistic pathway to completing the building. Everything possible is being done to ensure the project is completed as soon as possible on behalf of children, young people, and their families.
As a hub for paediatric care, the NCHI will be supported by the two satellite centres at Connolly and Tallaght hospitals, which are open and providing urgent and ambulatory care to children from the Greater Dublin Area representing major milestones as part of the wider reform effort. Before the NCHI opens for patients, the Emergency Care Unit at Tallaght will convert to an Urgent Care Centre, mirroring the Connolly model. Both of these centres will continue to operate throughout the period of migration and into the future in support of acute services at the NCHI. Excluding the Urgent Care Centre, it is anticipated that the facilities currently being used to deliver paediatric clinical services at Tallaght University Hospital will be absorbed into the adult hospital.
