Minister expresses confidence in 'brand new executive' taking charge of children's hospital
Health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has affirmed her confidence in the executive team taking charge of the new national children's hospital.
When members of Children's Health Ireland (CHI) appeared before the health committee recently, a number of TDs and senators said they no longer had confidence in the team following a string of controversies including unnecessary hip surgeries at Temple Street and Cappagh hospitals.
Speaking on Wednesday, Ms Carroll MacNeill said that she has confidence in what she said is "a brand new executive".
The minister said her interactions with CHI concern CEO Lucy Nugent, who has been in the role since February 2025, and the board of whom just one member has been in situ since before 2024.
"I'm refreshing the board," said Ms Carroll MacNeill, explaining that two new members were appointed within the last number of weeks, two were appointed when she became minister, and two more will be appointed in the coming days.
"I had a meeting with Lucy Nugent yesterday, I went through a range of different issues with her, on the hospital generally, on the issues we have been dealing with collectively in CHI — which predate her — and she is managing and trying to make sure that the reforms are implemented."
The pair also discussed plans for the new hospital and how it will be managed on a national basis as well as Ms Nugent's plans to interact with the HSE and the audit teams.
Hospital name criticism
Ms Carroll McNeill has also defended the name given to the new hospital, which will be the National Children's Hospital Ireland.
The name was chosen following engagement with the youth advisory group, parents, and patients, she said.
"I think it's a good name," the Fine Gael minister said, after it was met with some criticism for its simplicity.
"What I'm really most concerned about is stressed-out parents coming into Heuston Station, or getting in a taxi, or maybe that parent doesn't speak English as their first language, maybe they just need to get to the children's hospital."
There had been a case made to name the hospital after politician, activist, and doctor Kathleen Lynn and Ms Carroll MacNeill said she would like to see something within the hospital bear Dr Lynn's name.
National Sexual Health Strategy
Meanwhile, Ms Carroll MacNeill also launched the National Sexual Health Strategy on Wednesday which, among a range of other things, examined access to contraception.
Currently, free contraception is available to people over the age of 17 but the report acknowledges that younger people may need access to it for contraceptive purposes or the treatment of menstrual disorders.
It notes that the current legal frameworks around various forms of consent make this an extremely complex matter — the age of medical consent is 16, sexual consent is 17, and consent under GDPR is 18.
Ms Carroll MacNeill said she does not believe that the age of sexual consent will be revisited but recognised the need for young people to be protected from a public health perspective.
"I see a broad public health benefit in supporting girls of all ages in relation to the things that they need," she said.
The report also highlights the importance of encouraging uptake rates of vaccines such as the HPV vaccine.
Ms Carroll MacNeill did not have an update on the roll-out of the HPV catch-up programme saying that she is "nearly more concerned" about the take up among those aged 12-13 to avoid the need for another catch-up scheme in the future.
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