New plans for paediatric services in the State will have major implications for existing facilities.
As outlined in the McKinsey Report, the three children's hospitals in Dublin are to be merged into one single paediatric centre. This will treat children across the country with complex illnesses, as well as providing secondary care.
It is envisaged that the treatment of children in Dublin would be supported by two or three "strategically located" accident and emergency facilities in the capital. These will either be stand-alone units or attached to adult facilities, and will be staffed by general paediatricians.
If a child needs to be admitted, they would be transferred to the new children's hospital. With 85 to 90 per cent of paediatric urgent-care visits at A&E departments not admitted to hospital, this practice would be manageable, according to the HSE.
A single paediatric tertiary centre would typically offer outreach services, family accommodation including beds for parents in children's rooms, education, training facilities and patient and sibling schooling, according to the HSE.