Children’s hospital faces IT and planning risks

The national children’s hospital proposed for St James’s in Dublin could run into IT and planning trouble but the Government has insisted it is the best choice of location.

The Cabinet accepted Health Minister James Reilly’s recommendation, based on the report of an expert group, to locate the estimated €600m facility on the inner-city campus of St James’s. However, it will not open until late 2017 or early 2018, and planning and IT risks are associated with the project, according to the expert group.

Dr Reilly said the St James’s campus would be reconfigured to reduce the planning risks from “significant” to “moderate”.