The Dolphin report leaked to RTE today shows the paternalism and self interest of adult hospitals is still rampant. Apparently, the report states that adult hospital co-location is  a must while maternity hospital is an optional extra. That is last century medicine.

When the 3 children’s hospitals are consolidated into one National Children’s Hospital, the new hospital will out perform any adult hospital in breadth and depth of service to its patients. It will not require interference by adult services and personnel untrained in paediatric care. Do  ‘they’  not know that, for example, Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin has over 30 specialities (more than any adult hospital).

Adult hospitals do not have children in them. Maternity hospitals do. Clinical need demands that Maternity hospital co-location with the new children’s hospital  must take priority over adult hospital co-location. Dolphin is wrong.