Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown – Should be the site for new Paediatric Hospital

My prescription for Connolly Hospital is to amalgamate with Beaumont under new management following a comprehensive lean study of administration at both sites. The new National Paediatric Hospital should also be sited there because of the size of the site, access to the M50 and M3 and co-location with adult facilities if that is an advantage. The shortsighted sale of land in the past decade at the site would become obvious. I believe that the overall lack of vision and glorification of mediocrity make the HSE management unfit for purpose and the reign of Queen Mary, a wasteful disaster. The academic link should be with DCU primarily and with Maynooth. A National Postgraduate Medical School should be sited there also. It should be the hub for national GP training schemes. A licencing arrangement for RCSI is probably the best option in the public interest. Connolly catchment area must include the South Meath area from Navan and Navan Hospital should have specialist facilities for orthopedics and care of the elderly as well as specialist ouitpatients in rheumatology, dermatology, diabetes and endocrinology.

I must declare an interest. I have been to Connolly to do a little once weekly for the past 28 years. There is a good spirit among the clinical and nursing staffs there. Terrific people have worked in gthe lab there also which has made my crazy contract viable (safe). I salute the recently retired Jean Cranny and the late Pat Hall. The current staff would all be rehired if I was given the choice. That says it all.

Other people involved as negotiators or decision makers must declare an interest if they are involved with RCSI. I will write a lot more on these issues in the near future.