The National Development Plan will rejuvenate Irish healthcare

A large chunk of money has been allocated to the building of new hospitals, as well as the creation of additional capacity in existing facilities. 

In what is arguably the largest ever investment in health, the Irish Government has allocated €10.9 billion of funding for healthcare between now and 2027. 

The National Development Plan (NDP) will provide major investment in care delivery and high quality modern facilities that will overhaul our health system. 

A large chunk of money has been allocated to the building of new hospitals, as well as the creation of additional capacity in existing facilities. 

This includes a substantial commitment to invest in all areas from maternity to acute care, trauma, oncology, eHealth systems, mental health, disability and residential care and more. 

Exciting opportunity for Irish Healthcare 

Lack of investment over the last decade, as a result of economic recession and a budgetary deficit, has created pent up demand. 

Previously, we’ve used European money to fund big infrastructure development. Simply put, we don’t have that money anymore so there’s a commitment by government to spend 4 per cent of our GDP on capital programmes.  

There are existing commitments to the tune of more than €1 billion for The National Children’s Hospital, The Portrane Central Mental Hospital and Holles Street Maternity Hospital, but significant funding is available for new hospitals.

What’s in the NDP for health?

The plan includes a number of flagship projects: 

• Dedicated ambulatory care hospitals in Dublin Cork and Galway - Used extensively in the United States, this approach helps manage the burden on acute hospitals by reducing the impact of overcrowding, emergency department issue and trolleys on scheduled care.  
• Replacement of all existing stand-alone maternity hospitals - Following recommendations made by an independent report in 2008 the Government has now committed to the replacement of all stand-alone maternity hospitals. 
• The Business Case for a national electronic health record solution - This was approved last year and the plan now gives a commitment to invest in eHealth programmes which is a major opportunity to delivery better patient care and experience.  
• Reconfiguring services - Will introduce a new trauma strategy, maternity strategy, upgrading long-term care and supporting primary care.  

Hospital commissioning and strategy

While the Government has committed the funding, there are a number of obstacles to be overcome for the successful roll out of these projects. 

Government and health authorities must be supported in commissioning, building and activating new hospitals. 

As well as deciding the right methodology and programmes of work that follow, it’s vital that robust capacity and activity planning is completed at the outset to predict the number of patients that will come through the door. 

Successful projects are built around accurate predictive and modelling capabilities, with comprehensive project management and detailed clinical engagement. 

There are a number of important lessons to be learned from global projects.

It is essential to have:

• Detailed and comprehensive planning
• Strong project management drive and deliver large programmes
• Clarity on the business case and how it stacks up
• Robust and clear activity projections (particularly for new hospitals)
• Significant experience to procure and manage contracts

Conclusion

The NDP is a bold and ambitious project to deliver the state-of-the-art healthcare system we so badly need in Ireland. In terms of its strategic importance, the €10.9 billion for health is a game changer for Ireland.

Ultimately, it’s the management streams, organisational design and the governance structures that define the success of hospital building projects.

A market leader in large Government and Health projects, EY Ireland has dedicated teams that are experienced in all aspects of hospital planning and commissioning.