Minister Carroll MacNeill and Minister Mike Nesbitt meet for first time and visit site of New Children’s Hospital
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From: Department of Health
- Published on: 27 February 2025
- Last updated on: 12 April 2025
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and the Northern Ireland Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt met in Dublin for the first time today.
Minister Carroll MacNeill welcomed her counterpart, Minister Nesbitt, to the Department of Health in Dublin to discuss North-South cooperation on health and social care issues. Both Ministers welcomed ongoing cooperation and agreed to work together to address healthcare challenges in both jurisdictions.
Minister Carroll MacNeill and Minister Nesbitt discussed the potential for development of a perinatal and paediatric pathology service for the island, workforce issues, health inequalities and cooperation on cancer services.
Later in the day, the two Ministers for Health undertook a joint visit to the New Children’s Hospital. Minister Carroll MacNeill, speaking about the New Children’s Hospital, noted that it will drive reform in the delivery of paediatric services and provide further opportunities for cooperation between both jurisdictions, and is a much needed and much deserved investment in health services for children and young people across the island.
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said:
"I was delighted to meet with Minister Nesbitt for the first time today to discuss enhancing North-South cooperation on health and social care. Our health services already work together for the benefit of people across the island, including the North West Cancer Centre, the All-Island Cancer Consortium, the Congenital Heart Disease Network and our national ambulance services.
"I am very pleased to have had the opportunity to see the progress on the New Children’s Hospital today since my last visit and to demonstrate the realisation of our vision to my colleague Minister Nesbitt. With Minister Nesbitt’s recent announcement of the children’s hospital project in Belfast, the children of this island and their families will soon be much better served, and I look forward to seeing both hospitals lead to improved outcomes and better experiences for children and their families.
"I am committed to deepening and expanding the existing cooperation on health we have and I look forward to engaging in further discussions with Minister Nesbitt, both directly and through our joint collaboration in the North South Ministerial Council."
Health Minister Nesbitt added:
"This visit marks an important step in our commitment to ensuring the highest standard of care for all children, regardless of borders. The New Children’s Hospital in Dublin represents a significant investment in paediatric healthcare and I am pleased that children from Northern Ireland will have access to its specialist cardiac surgery services. Cross border collaboration in healthcare has long played a vital role in delivering specialist services that may not be viable on a single jurisdiction basis. This is a prime example of how working together can ensure the best possible outcomes for children and their families. I look forward to further strengthening our collaboration."
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The Department of Health in Ireland continues to work to support the deepening and broadening of North-South cooperation in healthcare provision both through direct links between officials and clinical staff in both jurisdictions, and through cross border engagements such as the North-South Ministerial Council, the Shared Island Initiative, and the Cross Border EU Funding Initiative, PEACEPLUS.
The New Children’s Hospital will provide 39 clinical specialities in one location and act as the hub for acute paediatric care nationally. The hospital will have clear links with regional and local paediatric units. This will support the provision of care as close to home as clinically appropriate. The hospital will have 380 individual inpatient rooms. 300 of the inpatient rooms will be ensuite and also contain a bed for a parent/guardian. There will be 20 child and adolescent mental health beds, and 60 critical care rooms, comprising of 22 cardiac beds, 20 paediatric beds, and 18 neonatal beds. There will also be 93-day beds and 22 theatres and procedure rooms.
Facilities on campus include a third level education centre for up to 2,500 undergraduate and postgraduate healthcare professionals, which will be comprised of lecture theatres, seminar rooms, collaboration spaces, and a third level library. The hospital campus will also have 14 gardens and courtyards across four acres of space, and playrooms or play areas in nearly every ward.
The integration of three existing children’s hospitals and workforces in preparation for the opening of the hospital is ongoing and the commissioning process for the New Children’s Hospital is advanced. The two satellite centres at Tallaght and Connolly, which represent major milestones in the programme, are open and delivering the new model of care.
Minister Nesbitt announced the go-ahead for the new £671 million children’s hospital development in Belfast on 19 February 2025. The 10-floor state-of-the-art facility, which is an Executive flagship project, will be located within Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital site. There will be 155 beds, 10 theatres, and an Emergency Department capable of catering for up to 45,000 children per year. 80% of the beds will be in single rooms with private ensuite facilities, and each ward will benefit from social and play spaces, with parent facilities and separate staff areas.