Boss of Oneview Healthcare highlighted how delays to the National Children’s Hospital have hit his business
The development of the National Children’s Hospital has been mired in controversy for years.
Costs at the project have soared from the original estimate of €650m to over €2.2bn, with relations between the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board (NPHDB) and contractor BAM having been strained throughout.
In 2016, Leo Varadkar said the hospital would be built by 2020, ‘short of an asteroid hitting the planet’
The long delays will also be having an effect on suppliers awaiting completion of the hospital. One recently spoke of the effect of the delays on his business.
James Fitter, chief executive of technology company Oneview Healthcare, expressed his frustrations during a call with investment analysts covering its latest financial results.
He highlighted revenue delays for the business over the first half of its financial year. These included a customer in the US pausing spend on all capital projects and the ongoing build at the National Children’s Hospital.
“It’s obviously had a meaningful impact on our first-half revenues, as have the ongoing construction delays at the children’s hospital of Ireland, which we had expected to deliver in the first half of this year,” Fitter said.
“So both of these are timing related, they’re incredibly frustrating. It’s the nature of the industry we work in, but it does have a material impact on the numbers in the short-term.”
In August 2023, Oneview and Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) signed a seven-year partnership whereby the company would deliver its care experience platform to the new children’s hospital. The platform connects patients, families and care teams with services, education, and information during hospital stays.
The initiative between Oneview and CHI would cover over 600 various hospital locations, including 363 inpatient and daycare units and a further 197 outpatient locations throughout the new campus.
According to the most recent estimates, the new hospital is due to be completed by contractors BAM early next year. It could then be officially opened after a six-month commissioning process.
‘It’s obviously had a meaningful impact on our first-half revenues’
The National Children’s Hospital project got planning permission in 2016. Construction industry giant BAM won the contract to build it.
In 2016, then health minister Leo Varadkar said that “short of an asteroid hitting the planet”, the hospital would be built by 2020.
In 2020, Covid-19 lockdowns stalled progress on the project.
In August 2022, the hospital was due for completion, but this was again pushed back.
Further delays and cost increases were announced over the years.
At the moment, February 2025 has been noted as the “substantial completion date”.