National Maternity Hospital

There will be absolutely no ambiguity regarding the clinical and operational independence of the new National Maternity Hospital in Dublin, the Minister for ...

The cabinet should not sign off on the new National Maternity Hospital without Oireachtas scrutiny of the legal framework agreed. All the issues surrounding this company are murky. We know little or nothing about them." In a tweet, he added: "This is too important. It is understood the Green Party TD felt the protection of services needed to be clear. The ownership of the land & hospital are crucial issues.— David Cullinane T.D. (@davidcullinane) May 3, 2022 We cannot be expected to take a leap of faith without proper scrutiny. We cannot be expected to take a leap of faith without proper scrutiny. She also wished to see more advanced notice for Cabinet colleagues. However, he said "there are strong protections" in place for the new maternity hospital and he said there needs to be "perspective and balance in all of this, I mean the Government will always uphold the law of the land as it is in the Constitution or in our laws." "People will be able to see within the Memorandum of Understanding the clinical protections in the NMH and indeed the obligations on the new National Maternity Hospital to provide all services." The Minister said the biggest concern is that people want absolute reassurance that the new hospital will be fully independent, clinically and operationally, and that it will offer all services and he said "that is absolutely the case."

Opposition politicians want approval to be delayed amid concerns over patients' rights.

She said the new hospital would have reserve powers which guaranteed clinical, operational and financial independence. He added that the Holles Street structure was substandard and a “constant building site”. Asked why he was not able to convince his Cabinet colleagues, Mr Donnelly said there had been a clear and positive discussion on the legal protections in place. The conference went ahead notwithstanding the setback at Cabinet today. Asked why a State-owned hospital was not being built, Dr Higgins said what was happening was that the new hospital would “recreate what we have at the moment”. He said that Ministers had “also agreed” there were members of the public with reasonable concerns who were making a “reasonable ask” to see the documents for themselves.

The move comes after Dr Peter Boylan wrote to Taoiseach Micheál Martin citing concerns over religious influence on the new entity.

It was also agreed that Mr Donnelly will publish all the documents in relation to the agreement brief the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and report back with observations to Government shortly. This will now include three independent public interest directors selected and appointed by Mr Donnelly, alongside three nominated by St Vincent’s University Hospital and three nominated by the NMH, with the role of chair to rotate between the three groups of nominees. A Government statement said that the Cabinet had noted the finalised legal framework agreed with the HSE, St Vincent’s Healthcare Group and the NMH, which includes that the term of the lease of the site be 299 years and provides increased State representation on the board of the new NMH.

Fine Gael Ministers Heather Humphreys, Helen McEntee, and Hildegarde Naughton and Green Minister Catherine Martin all sought assurances from Mr Donnelly that ...

Mr Donnelly said that he wanted people to “see for themselves and be able to see within the memorandum of understanding the clinical protections in the NMH and indeed the obligations on the new National Maternity hospital to provide all services.” Ahead of this evening’s Cabinet meeting, the Taoiseach said he felt “genuinely satisfied” safeguards are in place to allow the new hospital to proceed and he had been assured it would operate with no religious influence. “They want absolutely reassurance that the new hospital will be fully independent, that it will be clinically independent, that it will be operationally independent, and it will offer all services.

The selection of the hospital's location has been highly contentious due to the site's ownership by the Religious Sisters of Charity.

At a press conference on Tuesday night, a fact sheet about the new National Maternity Hospital stated that all procedures will be accessible at the new National Maternity Hospital including abortion, tubal ligation, fertility services and gender reassignment procedures. Minister Donnelly revealed at the press conference that he, the Minister for Health, will own a ‘Golden Share’ in the company “which allows the Minister to intervene if for some reason, all clinical services are not being provided.” A Cabinet source said Fine Gael and Green Party female Cabinet Ministers raised concerns about the plan to push ahead with the development of the new hospital and sought assurances from Health Minister Stephen Donnelly that all legal services including abortion would be accessible to women at the new maternity hospital.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said he is “genuinely” satisfied with the safeguards put in pla...

“Of course people can be assured that the services that people wish to avail of and that are legally permissible in this state will be available.” However, Micheál Martin said he is satisfied that appropriate safeguards are in place and that the Government needs to get on with the project: Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said he is “genuinely” satisfied with the safeguards put in place for the new National Maternity Hospital amid concerns about the influence of the Catholic Church over the project.

The health minister and several medical professionals held a press conference this evening about the legal framework governing the new hospital.

All of the documentation pertaining to this will be published, there will be engagement within the Health Committee of the Oireachtas as well. What is known about the new company, St Vincent’s Holdings, to which the government is handing over control of a €1 billion publicly-funded hospital? The cabinet should not sign off on the new National Maternity Hospital without Oireachtas scrutiny of the legal framework agreed. All procedures that are currently providing at the NMH under Irish law will be provided in the new NMH in Elm Park,” the statement said. The ownership of the land & hospital are crucial issues.— David Cullinane T.D. (@davidcullinane) May 3, 2022 “You’re looking at three public interest members now on the board as opposed to one. And of course, there has to be full transparency. “Specifically, clinical practice will not be subject to any Catholic ethos. We cannot be expected to take a leap of faith without proper scrutiny. There are various significant protections in there to make absolutely sure that that which is legally permissible in the State is provided to women and into the future in terms of services,” Martin said. Speaking to reporters, Donnelly said that the “biggest concern that people are raising is they want reassurance – they want absolute reassurance that the new hospital will be fully independent”. SVHG said in a statement that the Sisters of Charity had completed the transfer of shares to a new private charity called St. Vincent’s Holdings CLG.

Minister for Health indicates best course of action to allow all to see details of arrangements.

She said the new hospital would have reserve powers which guaranteed clinical, operational and financial independence. He added that the Holles Street structure was substandard and a “constant building site”. Asked why he was not able to convince his Cabinet colleagues, Mr Donnelly said there had been a clear and positive discussion on the legal protections in place. The conference went ahead notwithstanding the setback at Cabinet today. Asked why a State-owned hospital was not being built, Dr Higgins said what was happening was that the new hospital would “recreate what we have at the moment”. He said that Ministers had “also agreed” there were members of the public with reasonable concerns who were making a “reasonable ask” to see the documents for themselves.

Ministers seek assurances that all legal healthcare services will be available amid fears over religious ethos.

She also suggested changes to legal documents but was told by officials that these had already been agreed during a previous meeting. The Religious Sisters of Charity last week transferred their shareholding in the company that owns the land to a charitable trust, which will then lease it to the State for 299 years. Sources said Ms McEntee told colleagues there could have been greater advance communication on the issue.

Cabinet has delayed signing off on the move to St Vincent's campus amid concerns that not all legal healthcare services will be available.

"They'll be able to see the obligations on the new National Maternity Hospital to provide all services. "That it will be clinically independent, that it will be operationally independent and that it will offer all services. "They want reassurance, they want absolute reassurance that the new National Maternity Hospital will be fully independent," he said.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the new National Maternity Hospital (NMH) will offer “100pc of medical procedures” under Irish law to female patients ...

"It’s in the Constitution, it will be in their operating licences and as a final backstop, there is this so-called golden share which the Minister for Health holds. We have women in labour queuing in public corridors to get access to toilets, to get access to showers. Minister Donnelly said the Government delayed signing-off on the final deal for the NMH in order to be as “transparent” as possible.

Ministers seek assurances that all legal healthcare services will be available amid fears over religious ethos.

She also suggested changes to legal documents but was told by officials that these had already been agreed during a previous meeting. The Religious Sisters of Charity last week transferred their shareholding in the company that owns the land to a charitable trust, which will then lease it to the State for 299 years. Sources said Ms McEntee told colleagues there could have been greater advance communication on the issue.

Last night Cabinet delayed deciding on a proposal to move the National Maternity Hospital to the St Vincent's campus.

“Of course people can be assured that the services that people wish to avail of and that are legally permissible in this state will be available." "What I was able to go through with colleagues was the multiple layers of protection that are in the legal frameworks, all healthcare services can be provided and will be provided." "What members of Cabinet, both male and female, wanted to know was that the National Maternity Hospital would be clinically and operationally independent and that all services that can be provided under the law would be provided at the hospital," he said.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has explained that the decision to defer the final approval of plans for the new National Maternity Hospital was out ...

I can give an absolute, rock solid guarantee (that all services will be provided).” This project was the most important involving health care in the history of the State, he said. But any conversation about who owned the land was a red herring, he said. The National Maternity Hospital is a voluntary hospital, he added. The transfer of the land from the order to the State had been completed last week, he said. Under the Mulvey Agreement of 2016 there was a legal structure involving two voluntary hospitals and the State to create a world class health campus. The land was now under a 299-year lease.

Minister Stephen Donnelly has said that the decision on the new site of the National Maternity Hospital (NMH) will come before the Cabinet in two weeks' t.

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What is the issue? Ireland's history with the Catholic Church is obviously complex, and in terms of the Church's historical treatment of women, troubling. The ...

By way of reassurance, he said that the board of the new hospital will have additional State representation, and that all legal documentation regarding the deal will be published. A long-planned press conference for Tuesday evening at the Department of Health to announce the relocation was hastily reformatted to see Health Minister Stephen Donnelly announce that any decision would be delayed by two weeks on the back of the “legitimate” concerns being expressed. The idea was to boost the medical outcomes of the maternity hospital by having it adjacent to an established acute treatment facility.

The decision on the site of the health facility will come before the Cabinet in two weeks' time, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said at a briefing on Tuesday ...

The decision by cabinet to cease making a decision on the National Maternity Hospital is the right one. That is really the core question at this point.” He tweeted: “The decision by cabinet to cease making a decision on the National Maternity Hospital is the right one.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has explained that the decision to defer the final approval of plans for the new National Maternity Hospital was out of ...

I can give an absolute, rock solid guarantee (that all services will be provided)." This project was the most important involving health care in the history of the State, he said. The transfer of the land from the order to the State had been completed last week, he said. But any conversation about who owned the land was a red herring, he said. The National Maternity Hospital is a voluntary hospital, he added. Under the Mulvey Agreement of 2016 there was a legal structure involving two voluntary hospitals and the State to create a world class health campus. There would be no representative of the religious order on the board of the new hospital.

The Taoiseach has defended ownership proposals for the new National Maternity Hospital on the St Vincent's Hospital campus in Dublin, telling the Dáil that ...

It doesn't own the building. "And there is a very uneasy history in Ireland between the church and women's reproductive health. If you think about the national maternity hospital today, the State doesn't own the land. There are multiple layers of protection". A former Master of the National Maternity Hospital said she expects the sign-off to go ahead in two weeks, and that it will be made clear that there will be no religious influence at the hospital. She said transparency is key in a project of this importance, but that for her, the issue of paramount importance is that the absolute clinical dependence of the National Maternity Hospital has to be crystal clear and rock solid. And critically that it will provide all healthcare services, which it will. All services will be available." However, he said the NMH is a voluntary hospital and this is a matter of transferring one voluntary hospital to another site. The minister said the structure is complicated and essentially involves two voluntary hospitals coming together to create a hospital that will be owned by the State, on land owned by one of the voluntary hospitals. Mr Donnelly said there will be a 299-year lease and it does not really matter who owns the land, it matters who owns the hospital and "who controls the hospital, and all of that are set out in the legal legal framework. The minister said the Vatican has "nothing to do with the ownership of the land" and the share transfer of the land has already happened and the land is owned by St Vincent's.