one foot in the grave wrote: » This mess is scandalous. International independent reports have clearly laid out best practice. The Mater or James's come closest in this regard. Sure Paddy knows best. (sigh). Many children will spend weeks, some months, in this facility. A city centre location for those parents who cannot afford private transport makes most sense. Why did we bother asking four independent international pediatricians? Blanch hospital has no specialties. The Mater hospital houses our National Centre for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery and surgeons from the Mater carry out cardiac surgery in Crumlin Children’s Hospital. The Mater performs heart and lung transplants, houses the National Spinal Injuries Unit and has a child psychiatric unit. It is minutes away from the Rotunda. The rationale for locating a children’s hospital here was that it would place it between the Neurosurgical and Renal transplant teams in Beaumont Hospital and the Haematology and Burns teams in St. James’s Hospital. This would maximise access to the relevant off site expertise. Having access to this high level of expertise and resources will provide a better outcome for our nations sick children. I would have thought that would be the priority.
chucknorris wrote: » If the project of the national children's hospital is centralizing all functions, and Connolly doesn't have some of the specialties, then get them in there. Your point: "A city centre location for those parents who cannot afford private transport makes most sense." Connolly is very well serviced by public transport. Your point: Regarding the Mater's specialties. The Mater is almost out of cash. They won;t be paying wages in the next month or two at current status. Your point: "The rationale for locating a children’s hospital here was that it would place it between the Neurosurgical and Renal transplant teams in Beaumont Hospital and the Haematology and Burns teams in St. James’s Hospital. This would maximise access to the relevant off site expertise. " The M50 ring route is the smoothest, fastest route to either of those locations. The city center is an absolute DUMP in many, many ways. Paddy knows best
January wrote: » Yes, the transport links are excellent, they are minutes from the hotel in Blanchardstown Centre for overnight accommodation for the parents. The green space will be so much better for the kids to get out for a walk (I'm sure they could even think of building a little playground). It's minutes from the M50 which means that nobody will have to face city centre traffic if they are coming from other counties. Parking won't be a problem with the amount of space available. I really hope it gets the go ahead. Best place for it really. It doesn't really matter that the cardiologists are in the Mater, at the moment they have to travel to Crumlin anyway to do surgeries so they'll just have to travel to Blanchardstown instead.
January wrote: » So you think the best place for a children's hospital is in the middle of an already gridlocked city centre, where parents would not be able to park their cars and kids wouldn't be able to leave the hospital building because there would be no green area around it? Co-locating is the best thing, but not when there's no room for it and on top of that co-locating to an already strained, nearly to breaking point, hospital is the worst idea ever. I'm pretty sure all the equipment and support that is supposed to be in the NCH at the Mater site, will be there in the NCH at Connolly if it gets the go-ahead.
Okocim wrote: » I would love to see it being located in Dublin 15, but traffic infastructure is not good enough as it is with tail backs and traffic blocks in the vicinity. Would need a regular specific Dublin Bus service to stop specifically in the hospital grounds, not on the motorway like the 39a. A train/luas service extended to the hospital would be another essential BEFORE the relocation, not 20 years after it's placed there.
Number_5 wrote: » I think it would bring massive benefits to the local area. Is d15 the best place for the hospital itself? - I don't know.
January wrote: » I haven't seen a tailback on the n3 in months... They could extend the 38/a into the hospital grounds possibly bypassing the village... A private bus company could do a shuttle from the local train station (Castleknock). You know, at the end of the day, not everybody is going to agree on any location. There's pro's and con's for every single one but we do know the Mater site has been ruled out so there's no point in flogging a dead horse is there?Co-location would be great, but at what price? You'd be adding thousands more cars into an already gridlocked city centre. The air there cannot be the best for sick children, there's no where for them to play out in the open. I have a child who will be looking at open heart surgery in the future and all I want for her is the best, if that means Connolly that means Connolly. I'm not worried about co-location when the hospitals seem to be coping fine at the moment with their current set-up. Obviously it's what everyone would like but it's just not possible in our city.
January wrote: » At the moment what do the cardiac children do? Go to Crumlin and get their surgery there! What do any of the kids do? Are they getting sub-standard care? You can bet your ass they aren't! What price are we paying now? Have you got proof that children are dying because the hospitals are not co-located with a specialist hospital?
JupiterKid wrote: » I can understand why some might think it advantageous to have the planned new children's hospital co-located at the Mater or St. James's but medical expertise - whilst of course extremely important - is not everything and amenities such as plenty of green open space, play areas, nature areas and easy access and suitable accommodation for the parents and families of the child patients are also important considerations. On those grounds I think Connolly makes a good choice of site. Also - Connolly is quite close to the Mater in any case. An Bord Pleanala has rejected the Mater site as inappropriate and the fact that the land beside Connolly is State owned means that costs will be reduced. IMO locating at Connolly in Blanchardstown is the most semsible choice.
January wrote: » But the fact is that at the moment these children ARE getting the medical expertise they need in other hospitals that are not on the Mater site or the St. Jame's site. Do you think that will stop if the hospital is built in Connolly? Or in Thornton Hall? Or in a greenfield site that's somewhere off the m50?
one foot in the grave wrote: » Will a stand alone NCH lead to the best level of care that the State can provide for our sick children? I don't believe it will. And that's a crying shame.
Hilly Bill wrote: » Will it be a stand alone hospital? Wont it be in Blanch hospital which is also a sister hospital to Boumont (spl) ?
one foot in the grave wrote: » Unfortunately Blanch does not provide any regional or national specialties nor is it a centre of cancer care. When co-located is mentioned it means hospitals within walking distance and the adult teaching hospital having specialties (and the resources/facilities/support staff/equipment that go hand in hand with providing specialties) along with research and educational facilities. It will really be a stand alone facility.
Nedser101 wrote: » Everything you mention about Connolly is in the present ,this hospital will not be finished for another 10 to 12 years maybe by then it will have many specialties attached to it . And why if your building a brand new hospital should you be relying on old hospitals .
Hilly Bill wrote: » What about the hospice thats there? Whats within walking distance of where it is already?