Irish Medical Times Medical News for Healthcare Professionals
Tender documents for the relocation of the oldest working maternity hospital in the world, as part of the national health policy to co-locate maternity hospitals with an appropriate acute general hospital, will be issued to shortlisted candidates early next month, it is envisaged.
Rotunda Hospital, Dublin
According to the Rotunda Hospital’s target timetable, the subsequent tender process would be completed and awarded by April 2016, Bruce Shaw Consulting stated, in a project brief it issued recently on behalf of the hospital.
“This timetable is indicative only and candidates will be advised of firm dates at later stages in the competition.”
The Rotunda is seeking a Health Services Planning Team for the development of the project brief for the co-location of the maternity facility from its current location to the campus of Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15.
Interested candidates are required to submit expressions of interest by this Friday (January 22) as part of a pre-qualification [Restricted Procedure] exercise for the purpose of setting up of the shortlist of five candidates, who will then be invited to tender for the project.
Bruce Shaw Consulting said: “However, this project is not in the current Capital Development Plan and there is no time frame attached to the relocation. The Minister has indicated that consideration of a public-private partnership or other capital funding models can be considered and he has also indicated a desire for the project to be completed in the shortest time frame possible, i.e. five-to-seven years.”
The new Rotunda will provide the same range of comprehensive services, but for a projected capacity of 10,000 to 12,000 mothers delivered per annum.
In 2014, the Rotunda helped 8,787 mothers to deliver, saw 8,980 babies born, made 10,967 registrations, and 1,439 neonatal unit admissions.
lloyd.mudiwa@imt.ie
