Construction firm BAM completed the the 4,600m² Paediatric Outpatient and Emergency Care Unit on 09 September and handed the development over to NPHDB & CHI.
The facility is located adjacent to the main entrance to the Tallaght University Hospital. The facility is a new three-story building and includes the re-purposing of a ground floor area of the existing Tallaght hospital facility. The concept was designed to maximise the use of the existing infrastructure services like water, electrical power, waste disposal, communications, medical gases, and building safety systems. Work on expanding children's services in CHI at Tallaght also included a significant investment in Tallaght University Hospital including the delivery of a new changing and administration block, a new crèche and the upgrade of roads and pavements, car park and electrical infrastructure. The building was designed and built to comply with the highest building, environmental, regulations and health standards. The building was designated a BER A3 standard. The Health and Safety of all stakeholders, builders, suppliers, visitors to the site and the public were of paramount importance during the build phase.
Set to open for services in the middle of November, the new facility in CHI at Tallaght will accommodate the existing children's emergency care unit – re-located from the adult hospital – and expand outpatient services to children and young people from Dublin South West, South City and the surrounding areas of Kildare and Wicklow. When fully operational it is expected that this new facility in CHI at Tallaght will provide 17,000 additional outpatient appointments (General Paediatrics, Specialist and Orthopaedic clinics) and will see more than 25,000 Emergency care attendances annually.
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Commenting on the handover of the facility, Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD said: "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.
"This new building will offer patients, their families and our paediatric healthcare workers a modern, light-filled and fit-for purpose environment, supporting delivery of care for children in the Tallaght and surrounding areas into the future, alongside our new children's hospital on a campus shared with St. James' Hospital."
Theo Cullinane, CEO of BAM Ireland added: "The Paediatric Outpatient and Emergency Care Unit at Tallaght will be an integral part of the new National Children's Hospital network and will provide a vital service for generations of children. BAM is proud to have delivered this world-class facility, which will offer emergency care, general paediatric & trauma orthopaedics services, chronic disease management, diagnostics, and will also support community and home-based services.
"This milestone in the construction of what is the most important infrastructure project currently ongoing in the State is an achievement which has been obtained through hard work, commitment and collaboration between BAM, all of its subcontractors, the NPHDB, TUH and CHI. We look forward to carrying on this momentum as we continue our work to deliver this landmark project."
The new facility is also purpose built for children and families and will deliver 24-hour Emergency Care, as well as Monday to Friday Outpatients, Radiology, Medical Forensic Examination and Child Sexual Assault Counselling and Therapy services. There is also 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. These expanded services are in addition to the current inpatient and OPD services in CHI at Tallaght which will remain there until the new children's hospital opens.
David Gunning, Chief Officer, NPHDB commented: "This is a very significant milestone for the Children's Hospital Project and we are very proud of the hard work that went into achieving it. I would like to acknowledge the role played by the Main Contractor BAM and its subcontractors, the Design Team, the team at Tallaght University Hospital and of course the teams in Children's Health Ireland and the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board who have worked so tirelessly to bring the facility to this stage – particularly in the uniquely challenging circumstances of the last 18 months.
"We are proud of the design, quality and finishes within the building and are delighted that children and young people will soon be attending a state-of-the-art facility for their appointments and treatment once it is open and operational in a few weeks' time. This is what they deserve, and we are proud of the role that the NPHDB has played in helping to deliver on the commitment and vision of the government and CHI. Our entire focus now, together with BAM and all our stakeholders, is to deliver the new children's hospital within the shortest timeframe possible."
