It was communicated to the Dáil’s public spending overseer that the National Children’s Hospital (NCH) is predicted to reach “substantial completion” status by February 2025. A multitude of setbacks including the Covid-19 pandemic and escalating expense have plagued the project; however, October 29th was earmarked as the likely date of significant completion.
David Gunning, who is at the helm of the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board overseeing the hospital’s construction, informed Public Accounts Committee TDs on Thursday that the principal contractor, BAM, has foreseen further postponement of the completion date. He announced February 2025 as the revised date, however, without a detailed plan from the contractor, just a completion date, Gunning expressed uncertainty over the viability of this new timeline.
Children’s Health Ireland has stated earlier that getting the hospital operational, largely done post the substantial completion date, would require a minimum of half a year, if not nine months. The Government has verified earlier in the year that the NCH’s cost has surged once again. The approved capital and current budget for the venture now totals €2.24 billion.
This includes the costs to design, build and equip the hospital and its satellite centres at the Tallaght and Connolly hospitals – which are already functional; the expense to erect the primary hospital adjacent to the St James’s Hospital campus; and an isolated €360 million for the incorporation and transfer of services to the NCH.