Paediatric services in the Mercy to transfer to CUH next week

Mercy University Hospital (MUH) will no longer have paediatric facilities available in its emergency department from next week on.

From 25 June, all scheduled inpatient and surgical paediatric care, with the exception of the paediatric out-patient department (OPD), and all unscheduled inpatient paediatric care will move from MUH to Cork University Hospital (CUH). Paediatric outpatient clinics will continue at the OPD MUH until further notice.

All adult care, scheduled and unscheduled, will remain unchanged.

The new Paediatric Department development located at CUH, combining both MUH and CUH paediatric departments, will cater for a centralised paediatric service within one location in Cork.

In preparation for this transition, a new paediatric clinical governance structure has already been introduced and the service is now led by a single clinical director. The ambulance service will direct paediatric emergencies / acute care to CUH with effect from 25 June.

Professor John R Higgins, CEO of the The South/South West Hospital Group (SSWHG) said: "The consolidation of paediatric services from MUH to CUH represents a transformative leap forward in our mission to provide top-tier, comprehensive, high-quality healthcare for children in the South/South West region.

“The 2010 HSE reconfiguration of Acute Hospital Services in Cork and Kerry recommended centralising paediatric hospital services in Cork City at CUH. CUH was designated as a regional centre in the 2016 Model of Care from the National Clinical Programme for Paediatrics and Neonatology, will now serve as the primary location for these services. I am delighted about this transfer as it represents a significant milestone for us, and I am excited for the opportunities it brings to enhance child healthcare services in our community.”