Children’s hospital will not be finished until December as deadline pushed out

Donnelly is not ‘hung up’ on delay as he turns sod on charity building

The October 29 deadline for the completion of the long-delayed new €2.2bn national children’s hospital looks set to be pushed out to later in the year, it emerged yesterday.

However, an end is in sight as it is in its final stage of construction and the deadline is quarter four of this year, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said yesterday.

It is understood the contractors have asked for a completion date of December but this is being contested by the hospital development board.

Mr Donnelly said he expected to take full ownership of the hospital later this year and he is not going to get “hung up about whether it is this week in October or this week in November”.

“We want and must get full control of this hospital. We can all see the full difference this hospital will make. This is transformative. Ireland will have one of the best children’s hospital services in the world. The contractor has given a commitment for the full handover of this hospital in the last quarter of the year and I fully expect that to be honoured.”

He was speaking in front of the new hospital building in south inner city Dublin which has taken shape and promises a bright future for sick children. He said there are very active discussions going on between the hospital’s development board and the contractor BAM on millions in additional claims, which are being challenged.

So far a very small percentage has been agreed by a mediation service, he added. Asked about accommodation for staff, he conceded housing costs can be very high.

“The single most important answer is more housing and that is what we are focused on,” he said.

Mr Donnelly also turned the sod on a new accommodation house for families whose child is being treated in the hospital. The new Ronald McDonald House will be located across from the main entrance to the new children’s hospital.

It will provide accommodation for 52 families every night who have children receiving treatment in the new children’s hospital.

As well as bedrooms that will accommodate families of all sizes, there will also be communal kitchen facilities where families can prepare meals, as well as shared common areas such as living rooms, playrooms, reading rooms, laundry facilities and outdoor spaces.

It will be connected to the new children’s hospital at basement level, providing direct access for families who are visiting their loved ones at any time of the day or night.

Ronald McDonald House Charities Ireland will operate the new facility when it opens. It has already operated the Ronald McDonald House at Crumlin Hospital for 20 years, during which time more than 5,000 families have availed of its services.

Currently 20 families are accommodated at any one time in the Ronald McDonald House at Crumlin. The new Ronald McDonald House will more than double the accommodation available for families, with its 52 bedrooms, and enhanced communal areas.

Clancy Construction has been appointed to design and build the new facility.

The minister was helped in turning the sod by seven-year-old Darragh O’Loughlin, who is a patient in Crumlin and whose family have stayed at the existing Ronald McDonald House.

His mother, Rose Marie O’Loughlin, said: “Darragh was born in Wexford General Hospital and after only 24 hours it was clear he needed additional care and was transferred by ambulance to Crumlin. At two days old he had his first investigative cath lab procedure and was scheduled for open-heart surgery.

“We were far from home, terrified and had not planned for this. We got a room in the Ronald McDonald House, and it is difficult to put into words what a difference this made for us. We had two other children at home and a room in the House meant we could all stay together, sit down to a meal together, play in the playroom and visit the hospital.

“Darragh ended up in hospital for 19 weeks at that time and requires ongoing follow-up care. I cannot express the difference Ronald McDonald House makes to our family and thousands of families like us.”

Dr Jim Browne, chair of the Children’s Health Ireland board said: “We understand the importance of being able to stay close to your child when they are in hospital. That is why in the new children’s hospital every single inpatient bedroom will have a bed for a parent or guardian to stay in the room with their children overnight.

“This separate family accommodation unit across the plaza will allow families to stay close to their loved one which is a tremendous support, especially for children who are staying in the hospital for long periods of time.”

“We can all see the full difference this hospital will make” Stephen Donnelly