Agreement to Redevelop National Maternity Hospital Announced
Minister for Health Simon Harris announced on Thursday, November 24, that the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) and St Vincent’s Hospital Group have reached an agreement on on the redevelopment of the NMH on the Elm Park campus.
The Department of Health said that their design team will review and update the underlying planning documentation with a view to submitting a Strategic Infrastructure Development application to an Bord Pleanala, early in 2017.
The agreement follows extensive mediation discussions over recent months. Both hospitals have now agreed a new governance arrangement for the co-located hospitals which will see the establishment of a new Company – The National Maternity Hospital at Elm Park DAC.
“Delivering a world-class, state-of-the-art, new National Maternity Hospital for women and infants has been a key priority for me since becoming Minister for Health,” Minister Harris said. “I appreciate the significant efforts made by both hospitals over recent months to reach a resolution. At the outset I asked both hospitals to be flexible and innovative, to be open to change, and to demonstrate real leadership. It is clear that both hospitals listened and, motivated by the desire to provide women and infants with the best possible sustainable service on the Elm Park Campus, have, through this agreement, demonstrated real leadership.”
The Government published the country’s first ever National Maternity Strategy earlier this year. The Department of Health said that the new hospital will give physical expression to the Strategy and ensure that women will receive their care in an environment where their need for dignity and privacy is respected. Co-location with St Vincent’s University Hospital will also ensure that women have immediate access to any necessary acute medical or support services, and this will increase the safety profile of the service.
