The Southern Trust aims to begin on Daisy Hill Hospital’s new £7.9m paediatric centre of excellence in March. The planning application for the major works – which proposed redevelopment of the existing sixth floor for a Paediatric Ward and Theatre – was passed in September and on Monday a Trust spokesperson confirmed to the Reporter that they aimed to begin work on the site soon.
“The Trust continues to progress its plan to centralize planned Paediatric surgery services at Daisy Hill Hospital,” he said. “Subject to approval works will progress on the site early March 2016 and should be completed by September 2017.” The centre of excellence is part of an overall £14.5m approved by the Department of Health to modernize hospital services for children and young people across the Southern Trust area.
A statement last July said: “All planned paediatric surgery for the Trust will be centralized in a new £7.9m purpose built centre of excellence at Daisy Hill and a further £6.6m will be used to build a new paediatric centre on the Craigavon Area Hospital Site.
“This investment allows the Trust to continue to the next phase of implementation of its ‘Changing for Children’ strategy which was developed through public consultation in 2010.”
The new centre to be located on Level 6 of Daisy Hill will include a new child friendly theatre suite and recovery area, co-located beside a 19 bedded children’s ward all custom designed to support the delivery of the most up to date clinical standards for the treatment and care of children and young people.”
As part of the same statement Paula Clarke (Trust CEO interim) said that Daisy Hill remained as a vital part of the Trust’s hospital network for the provision of acute services and this investment is part of our continued programme of development and modernization of the hospital
“We have a very dedicated paediatric workforce in the Southern Trust and this next phase is a major step towards achieving the highest standards of care for children and young people,” she said. “Any child or young person requiring emergency surgery will continue to receive this at their nearest acute hospital – Craigavon or Daisy Hill. The development of a dedicated centre of excellence for planned paediatric surgery is another example of how Daisy Hill and Craigavon can work together to provide a network for high quality hospital care to the population of the Southern Trust and beyond.”
13th January 2016
Newry Reporter
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