TD for Dublin South West Seán Crowe has said that thecurrent attempts to downgrade Tallaght Children’s Hospital and leave it aslittle more than a bruises and bandages centre is shortsighted and neglects thevery real impact that Tallaght could have in tackling children’s waiting listsfor procedures.
Teachta Crowe said: “The HSE has always planned to convert Tallaght Children’s Hospital into anUrgent Care Centre upon completion of the National Children’s Hospital. Theirreasoning is that the resources from Tallaght will be required at St James’s. “However, even with the National Children’s Hospital way behind schedule, theHSE seem intent on pushing ahead with their original timetable for downgradingTallaght. It is impossible to get a straight answer as to when the NationalChildren’s Hospital will be completed, but it won’t be anytime soon. “During the pandemic, waiting lists across the health service have grown evenlonger. There are almost 700 children waiting on Ear, Nose, and Throatprocedures that could be dealt with in Tallaght if they had the support of theHSE to provide the resources and staff necessary.
“This would in turn free up space for Crumlin and Temple St to deal with theover 1,600 orthopaedic cases on their waiting lists that children desperatelyneed in order to have the best possible quality of life. “The HSE is once again displaying their complete lack of joined up thinking bydowngrading Tallaght in favour of a National Children’s Hospital that is stilllittle more than a hole in the ground.”
