Taoiseach Leo Varadkar (right) and Minister for Health Simon Harris

The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) raised concerns nearly two years ago about governance arrangements for the development of the planned new national children’s hospital, official files suggest.

The department said it had been assured by the Department of Health that there were “sufficiently robust” arrangements in place to oversee the construction of the hospital, which is now at the centre of controversy over a massive cost overrun.

Department had concerns over children’s hospital two years ago (Irish Times)

Yesterday: Pick A Number

Rollingnews

Meanwhile…

Glad that Finance/PER Committee has accepted my request to call in DPER General Secretary regarding the National Children’s Hospital. DPER must accept and stop hiding behind protocol. All information must be put in public domain as cost spirals out of control

— Pearse Doherty (@PearseDoherty) February 1, 2019

Meanwhile…

BREAKING: The Independent review into the rising costs of the National Children’s Hospital has been told to “stop short of determining culpability at individual level”. So no one will be held accountable

— Seán Defoe (@SeanDefoe) February 1, 2019

Meanwhile…

Former @finegael TD, @PFitzpatrickTD has told us this week what is happening with the delivery of the National Children's Hospital – there is a CARTEL at work. #TodaySOR#NCH https://t.co/3hs32oNDSJ

— Mick Caul (@caulmick) February 1, 2019

Construction work on the National Children’s Hospital earlier this month

The final cost of the new national children’s hospital could exceed €2 billion, the Public Accounts Committee has heard.

Labour’s health spokesperson Alan Kelly said it is “mind boggling” that up to September last year, the cost of the project was expected to be €983m and four months later it cannot be guaranteed that it will come in under €2bn.

The overall cost of the project has now risen to a total of €1.733bn.

PAC told final cost of children’s hospital could be over €2bn (RTÉ)

Rollingnews

This afternoon.

South Circular Road, Dublin.

The site of the new National Children’s Hospital which, with spending overruns of €450 million, may become the ‘most expensive medical facility in the world’.

Minister for Finance Pascahl Donohoe is to bring proposals to Cabinet in January to deal with a new budget estimate of €1.4 billion –  more than twice the €650 million projected in 2016.

Good times.

Sam Boal/RollingNews

‘sup?

This afternoon.

Site of the National Children’s Hospital, James’s Street, Dublin 8

Odockatee writes:

Anyone notice The Joker in the posters in the new James Hospital campus?

The food on offer at the launch of the new National Children’s Hospital pic.twitter.com/ziBEcnLYdL

— Ruairi Carroll (@RCarrollTV3) April 26, 2017

More as we eat it.

*clutches heart*

Update:

This afternoon.

From left: Darrell Kennedy Kiely, Devin Kennedy, Minister for Health Simon Harris, Anthony Iannucci and Ella Kennedy Kiely with a model of the New Children’s Hospital which was given the green light by Cabinet today to commence building works on the St James’s Hospital Site in Dublin.

Cocktail sausages and chips (‘overcooked’) were ‘red line issues’ to ensure the children’s participation.

Rollingnews

Thanks Bibi

This is Aisling McNiffe.

Yesterday she was part of a panel who were answering questions from the Oireachtas Health Committee at a hearing into the decision to locate the National Children’s Hospital at St James’s.

Gráinne Faller writes:

The clip is short and powerful. Please watch it.

Aisling’s son is in and out of hospital. The people advocating the St James’s site have consistently failed to address two incredibly important issues. 1) The maternity hospital which is essential to this hospital, and 2) access.

Let me be clear, the research shows that measures to speed up ambulance access do not work in built up areas. You don’t get more built up than that location. The access issue is about so much more than ambulances (traffic, helicopters etc), but I cannot imagine how slow every extra minute must seem when your child needs urgent treatment.

Can you honestly tell her and the many like her that their concerns are unfounded?

St James’s isn’t even accessible to Dubliners by car and make no mistake, car and taxi is how sick kids are brought to hospital. The research is unequivocal. Public transport is relevant to staff and maybe outpatients. It is important but it is not going to alleviate the problems.

There is a children’s hospital in Boston which has really encouraged public transport use which has worked well for staff and some outpatients. But even that hospital has over six car parking spaces per patient because that’s how sick kids get to them.

Guess how many spaces St James’s will have per patient? Two.

Guess how many they will add if and when the maternity hospital is built? Zero.

St James’s has a large range of clinical specialties. However these are adult specialties. Paediatric medicine is entirely different. There is very little crossover between adult and paediatric services. I wish we were wrong about this. I wish I could see a reason for choosing St James’s as a location for this facility. I can’t.

Previously: This Could Be A Catastrophic Mistake