National Children's Hospital may not open until 2026 after further delays

A construction worker at the construction site of the new National Children's Hospital in Dublin. Picture date: Wednesday October 5, 2022.

The National Children’s Hospital may not open until 2026, after further construction delays were reported to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly.

Last September, contractor BAM estimated that substantial completion at the hospital, which has been beset by cost overruns and delays, would be achieved by October 29, 2024. 

In May, a new deadline of February 2025 was set.

However it is understood that the completion target has once again been extended, this time out to the middle of next year.

After works are completed, the giant 380-bed project in south Dublin will be handed over to the State for six months’ worth of commissioning, before it finally opens to patients.

The three Government leaders were expecting a letter from Health Minister Stephen Donnelly on Friday detailing the latest delays.

It comes as the board of the hospital is expected to appear before the Oireachtas Health Committee next week.