“I am deeply concerned by the decision to indefinitely shelve plans for a new children’s unit at Altnagelvin Hospital. This project had been identified as a priority for the Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT) and was due to begin construction in January 2024, with completion expected in 2025.
“The existing paediatric ward operates from the sixth floor of the hospital tower, a facility long recognised as outdated and unsuitable. A planning report supporting the application for the new unit described it as being in “serious need of a major enhancement and modernisation.” Current provision has limited access to outside space and does not reflect the standards or environments children need to thrive when receiving hospital care.
“The proposed new unit was designed specifically around children’s needs and rights, offering an Outpatients’ Department with 12 consultation/examination rooms, day case facilities and an Acute Paediatric Assessment Unit, A Sensory Room and a dedicated Adolescent Area, an inpatients’ Department with 25 single en-suite bedrooms, A courtyard and an outdoor recovery space.
These features were developed with input from families to create a child-friendly, therapeutic environment that respects children’s dignity, privacy, and wellbeing. The shelving of such an advanced, urgently needed project represents a major setback for paediatric care in the North West.
This decision cannot be seen in isolation. It comes against the backdrop of a children’s social care crisis, unprecedented budgetary pressures and an alarming lack of visibility of babies, children and young people in Health Transformation.
“The Department of Health’s own assessment in 2024 warned that the health budget would place “an exceptional level of pressure” on Trusts, with all trustees expressing “grave concerns about the impact on health and social care services at both local and regional level.” For WHSCT, this has translated into the indefinite delay of essential investment in children’s services, with direct and detrimental consequences for children’s healthcare.
“Furthermore, Altnagelvin is categorised as an area hospital within the Department’s reconfiguration plans – intended to provide comprehensive secondary care, including inpatient paediatrics, 24/7 emergency, surgical and obstetric services. The non-progression of this project undermines the Department’s own strategy for hospital transformation and raises serious questions about how commitments to children’s healthcare will be delivered.
“Children’s rights are at the heart of this issue. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is clear: ‘States Parties shall recognise the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health’ (Article 24). By failing to deliver this project, children’s rights to adequate healthcare are being violated, and their best interests are not being treated as a primary consideration.
We therefore urge the Department of Health to:
“Northern Ireland’s children deserve more than indefinite delays and outdated facilities. They deserve safe, modern, and rights-respecting health services now. Full and direct incorporation of the UNCRC will enable government to work more effectively to ensure children’s rights are respected and fulfilled.”
