Mater Misericordiae University Hospital

Background

The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital is an acute adult teaching hospital based in Dublin city centre.  In February 2006, a report on the organisation of tertiary paediatric services in Ireland and secondary and tertiary paediatric services in Dublin, commissioned by the Department of Health and Children, was released. This report, Children's Health First, stated that, based on Ireland's and Dublin's populations and size and International Best Practice, the ideal configuration for paediatric services would be a single national tertiary paediatric centre, based in Dublin, which would also cater for Dublin's secondary paediatric needs. It stated that the national centre would be supported by an adequate number of ambulatory and urgent care centres for secondary level care, located in Dublin. It specified that the national tertiary paediatric centre would be co-located with an acute adult hospital so as to benefit from clinical and non-clinical adjacencies.

Following this report, the Department of Health and Children requested submissions from each of the Dublin Adult Teaching Hospitals detailing their suitability for hosting the new national paediatric centre adjacent to their hospital. Prospectus supported the Mater Hospital in the development of their submission.

Objectives

The objective of the Mater's submission was to present the key arguments for the Mater site, focusing on two aspects:

• The Mater site was the best location for the new national paediatric hospital
• The Mater Hospital was the best partner to host the new national paediatric hospital

Approach Taken

In their request for submissions, the Department of Health and Children asked for specific information and this formed the basis of the work. Prospectus and the Mater team focused on providing the information, supported by detailed background information, national and international best practice, and further thinking around the challenges and benefits of co-locating with the mater Hospitals. In summary, the submission covered five key areas:

• Exploring the clinical benefits of co-locating a National Paediatric Hospital with the Mater
• Identifying the capacity and opportunity for non-clinical benefits from co-location
• Undertaking a detailed study of access issues
• Developing detailed outline plans illustrating potential configurations for the hospitals and giving detailed planning related information
• Proposing governance arrangements for the New Hospital and the,Hospital Campus

Outcomes

The outcome of this project was a very detailed submission document that outlined the Mater Hospital's case for being the host for the new National Paediatric Hospital. Following the Department of Health and Children's assessment process, the Mater Hospital was chosen as the host hospital for the new children's hospital, and to-date, plans are well underway for the development of the National Children's Hospital on a large site at Eccles Street.