New paediatric outpatient facility to open in Tallaght this November
A NEW facility at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) at Tallaght University Hospital that will “transform how acute paediatric healthcare is delivered to the sickest children in Ireland” is due to open in November.
The new paediatric outpatient and emergency care unit in CHI at Tallaght reached the stage of “practical completion” on September 10, and it is expected to open for services in mid-November.
The building was handed over to CHI by the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board this month.
The services that will be provided at the new unit include emergency care, outpatients, and radiology, and there will be child sexual assault forensic and child sexual assault therapy units.
The new three-storey building to house the unit is located adjacent to the main entrance of Tallaght University Hospital, and it also includes the re-purposing of a ground floor area of the existing Tallaght hospital facility.
When the new unit was discussed at a meeting of the Dublin Mid-Leinster Regional Health Forum last week, Valerie Kavanagh from CHI said children who attend the emergency care unit will be checked-in on arrival and brought to one of ten single rooms for examination and treatment.
“We will have designated procedure rooms so that we can give sedation and be able to treat fractures and stitch wounds so children can go home again quickly without needing admission or a visit to an operating theatre,” said Ms Kavanagh.
“We also have capacity to deliver short-stay care in that unit so that children can stay, have full consultant assessments and treatment and be discharged home without needing a 24-hour admission.
“This model currently exists in CHI at Tallaght and has worked very well.”
She added: “When fully operational we expect this new facility in CHI at Tallaght to provide 17,000 additional outpatient appointments (General Paediatrics, Specialist and Orthopaedic clinics) and we expect to see more than 25,000 Emergency care attendances annually.”
Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, commented on the handing over of the building from NPHDB to CHI saying: “I am delighted to see the completion of the new paediatric outpatient and emergency care unit on the Tallaght hospital campus, as part of the new children’s hospital project.
“This is the second of the two satellite centres to be completed, and is another major milestone reached in the project.
“I’d like to acknowledge the work of all involved in the construction of the new facility, most notably the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board and the contractor BAM.”
Prior to opening, CHI will carry out a stakeholder engagement and public awareness campaign about the opening of the new facility and the services it will provide.
“This new facility together with CHI at Connolly and the new children’s hospital will transform how acute paediatric healthcare is delivered to the sickest children in Ireland and how local secondary paediatric care is delivered in the greater Dublin area – delivering better healthcare outcomes as well as better experiences for children, families and staff,” said Ms Kavanagh.
