The €10m hub will cater to children in the city and in south Kilkenny and will provide early intervention and respite care for children with complex additional needs.
A parents group, Touching Hearts, has welcomed the news, as the current centre used by families is out of date and lacks important facilities needed to help their children.
Dermot Dooley, whose son Darragh, 11, has been attending the Sacred Heart hospital for care due to his cerebral palsy, said the new location will be easier to access for families. The current site of Sacred Heart, which was built in 1974, is on the narrow Lady Lane in Waterford’s city centre, whereas the new 'centralised hub' is earmarked for the grounds of the former St Otteran’s Hospital on St John’s Hill, adjacent to a special needs school and a HSE primary health facility.
Dermot Dooley and his son Darragh
Among facilities the existing building is lacking is a structure to allow the use of a hoist and a hydrotherapy unit, said Mr Dooley.
“We really need future-proofed premises that will allow the current staff to deliver more and better services to children with additional needs," said Mr Dooley.
"Children like Darragh are always in danger of being left behind, but the service here is brilliant.
Construction
Construction of the centre will cost €8m while equipping and design will make up the remainder of the price.
In 2019, Touching Hearts received written confirmation from the HSE that a centre would be built, with €1m pledged by Touching Hearts through fundraising. However, they have been waiting to hear more, said chairwoman Anne-Marie Queally.
Ms Queally said children attending Sacred Heart have a wide range of physical and/or intellectual challenges, with early intervention therapeutic and toddler-playgroup services provided by staff.
“I started here as a 17-year-old volunteer in 1991 and came back in 2000 as a qualified nurse but very little had changed,” said Ms Queally.
In response to parliamentary questions from Labour leader Alan Kelly last Friday, Mr Donnelly said the centre is an “important and significant project” and has been included in the HSE Capital Plan 2021, with construction to start in 2023 and lasting up to two years.
Mr Kelly said it is crucial the project secures funding and remains a priority for the Government and the HSE.
