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HEALTH MINISTER LEO Varadkar is playing down fresh concerns being raised by the Jack and Jill Foundation over the location of the new National Children’s Hospital at the St James’s site in Dublin 8.
The charity placed the text of an anonymous letter, said to be from a consultant at St James’s, on its website yesterday.
It says many staff members at the hospital have “serious concerns” over development of the project at the Dublin 8 campus.
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Speaking to Newstalk earlier today, Jack and Jill CEO Jonathan Irwin said the letter showed there were ”horrifying things that are under the carpet”.
It’s the third such ‘whistleblowing’ document revealed by the charity — two others came to light last month. Irwin and other groups have been critical of the selection of the inner-city location as the site for the hospital, with particular concerns being raised about accessibility and parking.
Speaking this morning, Health Minister Leo Varadkar insisted there was ”absolutely nothing” new in any of the three letters to date.
And he appealed to anyone at the hospital with concerns to raise them directly with him.
“Certainly if anyone wants to come forward and speak to me confidentially I’d be happy to do so,” Vardakar said.
“They need no concerns about that.
“But also the decision is made. The decision was made two years ago that the new Children’s Hospital would be on the St James’s campus, and the satellite centres in Blanchardstown and in Tallaght.”
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Busy day for Leo. His stock of denials must be running thin.
So where do you want to put the childrens hospital? There are issues with every single site and experts who are against every single site. The committee was made up of experts and they chose the site they think is best overall. It’s not perfect but nowhere is. The Great Ormond Street Hospital is the best in the world and located in central London which has much worse traffic than Dublin.
Please read Dr. Fin Breatnach’s letter – Jack & Jill Children’s Foundation.
The government looking through their rose tinted glasses again. ‘Sure everything is fine and dandy, no problems stop talking just let us run the country nobody else’s matters’ , seems to be the approach by this government. So they are as arrogant as the last bunch ,but sure all politicians are the same especially career politicians. BOC
just so as we are clear – you think 3 anonymous letters means we should re-open the site selection process for a third time? i.e. start building in 2026?
Or did I mistake your rant for something relevant?
Typical Ireland. People would rather spend one hundred years trying to stop a hospital being built where they don’t want it rather than just getting it done and build it. Children suffer while we wait. Everything else comes second to that.
True john but children will continue to suffer after it’s built if it’s not done right the first time !
People would rather a plan that makes sense than bunging something in quickly without long-term thinking. It’s the kind of ‘ah, sure it’ll be grand’ attitude like yours that has lead to so many clusterf**ks in this country.
You don’t get it. How many years ago did we start planning the children’s hospital? And yet after one failed site (the Mater), it still seems no closer. We are great in Ireland at pointing out flaws. There will never be a site in Ireland that 100% of the stakeholders say “yes that’s perfect”. Those writing these anonymous letters need to make their concerns public. The fact they haven’t makes their complaints less credible. They probably also complained about the Mater site. And I’m guessing that the only site they won’t complain about is one of their own choosing. If we don’t just build it, this will actually go on for years. There are babies who would have needed this new hospital who will actually be adults before it is built. That is a whole childhood gone while everyone fights about the site.
@Peter ah yes, ignore the fact that many years of planning went into choosing the site. If a successful site is one that 100% are satisfied with, then children will continue to receive care in our already existing substandard facilities indefinitely, as such a site does not exist.
Take a drive around St. James Hospital during rush hour. Or just before it. Or on a Saturday afternoon. I drive down the South Circular Road daily, and it’s almost always a car park. It’s not accessible from that location, and the James St entrance is little better. Adding a National Childrens’ Hospital to the mix is going to lead to chaos. Ill conceived, short-term planning. And THAT’S what’s typical of Irish planning.
John B, did you read the letter. I suspect a consultant in the oncology field wrote this letter and whoever the author is has great concerns about the affect of this project on existing patients and for the affect on St. Luke’s. I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the Connelly option….Both Varadker and Joan Burton are Dublin North West T D’s…isn’t that where James Connelly Hospital resides?
Tinker, their are as many consultants who will support the St. James’ site. You can be sure that letters like this were written for the Mater site, and will be written for the next site, and every single site that is chosen, no matter where it is. This process could easily go on for ANOTHER 10 years, and even then people will not be happy. No site will satisfy everyone, and unless everyone is satisfied then these letters will always be there.
Right now, the Rialto entrance to St James’ Hospital is closed to patients and visitors because the site cannot cope with traffic. So how are they going to cope with the traffic generated by 600 sick children? Leaving aside the 2,000 staff required in the new hospital, what of family and other visitors? They are already filling in all the courtyards in the hospital (they were supposed to be ‘open spaces’) with various projects. It is unsuitable. Full stop.
Please, please, please make sure it has a helicopter pad. On the roof is fine. Just make sure it has one so the air ambulance guys don’t have to keep dropping off in the Phoenix Park and using ground ambulances for the last stage.
Plans for the hospital include a helipad. There are also separate plans to build a multi storey car park
I’m more in shock that there is a religious leader on the board for Crumlin. That’s a joke in itself.
Jesus – never going to get 100% agreement on anything as big a the NCH. Many knowledgeable people are rightly able to come up with alternatives, but this is the second time around and we just need to build the thing now. 3 letters, albeit from people with expert knowledge in some of the issues involved (I don’t include traffic management in that), cannot undo the whole process again.
have your say