Landmark maternity hospitals set to close

THREE landmark maternity hospitals will eventually close as part of a major reconfiguration of Dublin’s maternity services.

But the plan, contained in a new review of the capital’s maternity services, could take at least 10 years to implement, the Health Service Executive (HSE) admitted yesterday.

The HSE confirmed that the plan will see the eventual closure of the Rotunda Hospital, the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital, and the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street where 40% of the country’s children are born.

Services at the Rotunda will be moved to the Mater Hospital site, services at the Coombe will be moved to the National Children’s Hospital in Tallaght, while services at the National Maternity Hospital will be moved to St Vincent’s University Hospital.

The HSE said new maternity and gynaecological services for the capital will be developed side-by-side with adult and paediatric hospitals.

The new blueprint for the development of Dublin’s maternity services is contained in an independent review that is expected to take around 10 years to implement.

Fionnuala Duffy, the assistant national director of planning at the HSE’s National Hospital’s Office, said the capital’s current model of stand-alone maternity hospitals is not the norm internationally.

“Most of our maternity units around the country are already part of an acute hospital setting — the model in Dublin is very unusual compared to what is now the international norm,” she said.

She said it is well recognised that, for optimal clinical outcomes, maternity services should be located with adult acute services so that the mother has access to a full range of medical and support services, should the need arise.

She said the review, commissioned in May 2007, would be used as a guide in the development of future maternity and gynaecological services.

As well as hoping to raise the money for the new developments from the sale of the three maternity hospital sites, the HSE intends looking at innovative ways of raising capital funding.

And, recognising that the transfer will take some time to complete, the HSE has been providing some interim capital funding to improve infrastructure in the three existing maternity hospitals.