Healthcare workers are “quite concerned” the new National Children’s Hospital will be understaffed, SIPTU has claimed. 

Today, the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee heard the hospital would not open in October as planned and instead would welcome its first patients in the summer.

Officially, the hospital is expected to cost €2.24 billion but the delay means that figure is expected to rise even further.

Added to that, some believe even that date might be unrealistic.

“Our members have raised quite a few concerns around the opening of the new children’s hospital,” SIPTU spokesperson John McCamley told Josh Crosbie for The Pat Kenny Show. 

“Mainly around staffing; we’ve tried to engage management on quite a number of occasions to try and determine the level of staffing from each of the grades that we represent.

“While engagement is ongoing, there certainly is a view that we need more information; we need some clarity in relation to the exact staffing numbers for a number of grades.”

The interior of the new National Children's Hospital under construction at the St James's site in November 2022. Picture by: Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

On the question of whether summer 2025 is realistic, Mr McNally described it as a question for officials.

“I can only believe what we’re told in relation to [the opening],” he said.

“The most important thing is getting it right from day one.”

Associate Professor Martina Healy said the design of the new National Children’s Hospital necessitates higher staffing levels.

“So, the plan would be that we’re going to move to the new hospital and that there is a place there for 42 critical care beds,” she explained.

“We’re currently staffed as you can see between the units for 32 beds.

“I know you’ve walked around this unit and you can see that a lot of the spaces are big, 25 metres squared - but are very much open and there is a direct line of sight of the children who are on ventilators and pumps and so on.

“The difference between where we’re currently at - and the same goes for Temple Street - is that we will be moving to a unit where every room is a single room behind a glass door.”

An artists illustration of the National Children's Hospital at the St James's site in Dublin. Picture by: BAM Construction

Overall, the staffing requirements are expected to increase by a third but Professor Healy said she expected many healthcare workers will be attracted by the prospect of working in a brand new building.

In response to questioning from Newstalk, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the health service has already hired extra workers.

“We’ve been investing very significantly in CHI and increasing their workforce,” he said.

“They will be engaged with, I have no doubt, in terms of the transition and there’s going to be a lot training required.”

Main image: Children's Hospital.