Crumlin reiterates support for children’s hospital site

Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin has reiterated its “categorical” support for locating the new national children’s hospital at St James’s Hospital.

Chief executive Lorcan Birthistle said the hospital informed the Government in April last year that its board unanimously supported the location of the new hospital on the St James's campus and "this position remains unchanged".

Mr Birthistle was responding to recent media coverage of the issue, including a call by An Taisce to extend the campus of St James’s to include the Coombe Women’s Hospital and to relocate the project from St James’s to land adjacent to the Coombe.

This would mean the hospital was co-located with a children’s hospital, in line with best international practice.

Dr Orla Franklin, a consultant paediatric cardiologist at Crumlin, has also expressed reservation about the failure to co-locate the children's hospital with a maternity hospital, given the need for very sick newborns to receive immediate treatment in a children's hospital.

Mr Birthistle said in a statement issued this morning: "We look forward to working with the Children's Hospital Group Board and the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board in developing this very important project on the St James's campus."