Mater plans expansion into space lef t vacant by NCH

Hospital mulls a move of services to Temple Street

ONE of the country’s busiest hospitals is planning a major expansion by taking over the space vacated by the National Children’s Hospital (NCH) when its new premises is finally finished.

The Mater Hospital in Dublin’s north city centre is looking at moving some of its clinical services to the nearby Temple Street children’s hospital and using other space freed up there for staff accommodation, a creche and parking to help with recruitment and retention.

The hospital has faced major difficulties in hiring and keeping staff and is also actively considering the purchase of property to develop short-term accommodation for workers.

According to a presentation for the Mater Hospital board last

‘Plans are at a very early stage’

October, the move would add some 35,000 square metres of clinical space for its work.

Another 10,000 square metres of support space for staff would also become available for accommodation, staff cars and child-minding services, along with a coffee shop and ‘some other commercial spaces’.

Mater chief executive Alan Sharp said it was hoped the expansion would help to reduce the length of stay for some patients at the hospital, especially if the new site housed ambulatory out-patient services.

The chairman of the board, David Begg, said the plans were ‘extremely ambitious and impressive’ and that it should help with recruitment and retention, given plans for providing accommodation and car parking.

The hospital has faced significant recruitment challenges because of the cost-of-living crisis and difficulties for staff in finding accommodation in Dublin.

In addition, the provision of parking has been a long-standing bugbear for staff, with Dublin City Council clamping operations highly active in the immediate vicinity of the Mater.

The board heard that managing risks from the project would be vital and regular updates would be provided at future meetings.

A note of the minutes said: ‘One risk that may need to be considered in the context of the ongoing expansion of the hospital campus would be the range of different financial and legal arrangements in place and the impact of these arrangements (such as liens) on the risk profile of the company.’

The NCH, which has run massively over budget, is expected to open in late 2024 or by early 2025.

As well as leaving Temple Street redundant, its opening could also free up the 230-bed Crumlin hospital and the 67-bed Tallaght Hospital for other uses.

A statement from the Mater said: ‘The Temple Street Campus is part of the Mater Hospital Group and the hospital considers it a critical part of its ability to plan for the future, including expanding public care, when Children’s Hospital Ireland vacates the site and moves to the new National Children’s Hospital.

‘Plans are at a very early stage, but it is likely that some clinical services may be moved to Temple Street to address access to care issues and free up space in the Mater itself to benefit public patients and reduce waiting lists.

‘The hospital is also considering utilising some space for staff accommodation, creche facilities and parking in order to assist with staff retention and recruitment.’