In less than three years, the authority managing the establishment of the national children’s hospital has exhausted €672,000 on public relations services. The expenditure by the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) has coincided with ongoing delays and escalating costs associated with the project.
The sum spent on engaging with the community, internal and external stakeholders, along with media relations services from Q4PR came to light through a question in parliament by Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy. The exact breakdown of the expenses equates to €250,352 in 2022, €211,328 in 2023, and €210,355 up to September 2024, excluding VAT.
Addressing the expenditure, Ms Murphy indicated that completion of the children’s hospital within the projected timeframe would have reduced the expenses. A finished operational hospital treating ill children, according to her, would be the ultimate PR.
The St James’s campus was approved as the site for the hospital in 2016, with total costs projected to be €700 million, and the completion date estimated as 2020. However, David Gunning, the Chief Officer of the NPHDB, stated last month that while 94% of the hospital construction is completed, he anticipates the completion date as June 2025, which may allow for a 2026 opening. But, he also expressed uncertainty regarding this timeline.
Earlier this year, revelations about an increase of more than €500 million in the hospital’s cost surfaced. The total projected cost for the National Children’s Hospital (NCH), including its two satellite centres and the transfer of services to the St James’s campus, is now estimated to be €2.2 billion.
The NPHDB and BAM are locked in a conflict, exchanging allegations regarding responsibility for delays and price increases. When addressing Ms Murphy’s question in Parliament about external communication advice, the NPHDB asserted that the hospital under construction is Ireland’s most intricate project whilst being the largest healthcare investment by the State.
They emphasised that for the ongoing planning and construction, it is crucial to maintain communication not just via media outlets or social platforms, but also via site visits, events, and interfacing sessions. The NPHDB proceeded to list its key collaborator groups which it must consistently connect with. This list includes but isn’t confined to: regional and national delegates, Oireachtas panels, Department of Health and the HSE officers, Children’s Health Ireland, the Resident Project Monitoring Committee, and the local neighbourhood entities and enterprises.
The NPHDB also stated that it executed a public tendering process in 2021 for communication consultancy services, which was won by Q4PR.