Staff cuts could reduce hospital to a “glorified health centre”, TD says

A MAJOR children’s hospital risks ending up being nothing more than a “glorified health centre”, according to TD Tony Gregory.

There were real fears, Mr Gregory said, that Temple Street Children’s Hospital on Dublin’s Northside would be downgraded seriously as a result of a shift in consultancy coverage to other city hospitals.

The hospital has 763 skilled staff, including 55 consultants. There are more than 106,000 attendances each year by children from all over Ireland and the hospital has the country’s biggest paediatric casualty unit.