Children's unit one of 14 healthcare projects put on hold

The Sinn Féin chair of Stormont's health committee, Philip McGuigan, says a final decision should be made by Christmas

Politicians have called on the Department of Health (DoH) to clarify what is happening with a proposed £20m children's unit at Altnagelvin hospital.

It is one of 14 healthcare projects - with a total value of about £80m - that have been paused over concerns that the capital investment needed to pay for them may not be available.

The DoH had planned to complete the projects, but has now admitted each will have to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

The department's Tracey McCaig told Stormont's health committee that it had to "relook at what our ambitious plans were".

'No firm stamp' on projects

The department is seeking to achieve more than £600m of efficiency savings, which includes an estimated £200m to fund pay settlements for healthcare workers.

Ms McCaig told the committee the 14 projects "are priorities" and the department "would want to support them", but, in reality, "we just have to take a moment to look at them".

"There's no firm stamp on any of them. I know that is very disappointing and we have had lots of challenging conversations," she said.

DoH permanent secretary Mike Farrar said there is no danger of losing the £80m, but there was a question mark over how much could be spent on the capital building projects.

Sinn Féin chair of the health committee, Philip McGuigan said he was disappointed MLAs were not getting firm answers from the departmental officials.

"One of the criticisms that the general public will have is that the department haven't got a great track record - and I'm putting that mildly - when it comes to capital projects," he said.

"With regards to these 14 projects - they are all absolutely necessary, the department have deemed them all necessary and there has been significant time by staff invested, outside bodies invested, and significant money."

SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan described the executive as "dithering"

Earlier, McGuigan told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme there was an "absolute need" for state-of-the-art paediatric services at Altnagelvin, for which planning permission was granted in March 2024.

A previous planning report described the current children's unit as in "serious need of a major enhancement and modernisation".

SDLP assembly member Mark H Durkan described it as "another case of delay, dithering and non-delivery from the executive".

"However, it is important to say this is 'on pause', it hasn't been stopped," he said.

The DUP MLA Gary Middleton described the new children's ward as a "vital piece in the jigsaw" for the modernisation of Altnagelvin.

He said the health minister needed to recognise the unit as a priority, which would transform the care of sick children at the hospital.

DUP MLA Gary Middleton said the unit should be a priority

In a statement to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme, a spokesperson for the Western Health Trust said: "Following the announcement of the outcome of the UK-wide 2025 spending review in June, (Stormont's) Department of Finance commissioned a budget exercise that will determine the capital budgets for all departments up to 2030.

"Work is underway to develop the multi-year budget which the finance minister intends to bring to the [Stormont] Executive later in the autumn for consideration and agreement."

The Trust said the ability to commit funding for any new capital projects, including the plan to replace the paediatric bed accommodation at Altnagelvin Hospital, would "depend on the Department of Health capital allocation from the budget process".

Plans for the new children's unit had been at an advanced stage.

An architect's impression of what the new unit would have looked like

The proposed paediatric department would be relocated within the refurbished ground and first floors of the existing treatment wing within Altnagelvin Hospital.

The ground floor would accommodate the outpatients' department with 12 consultant/exam rooms, day case facilities and an acute paediatric assessment unit.

It would also have staff facilities and ancillary accommodation, including treatment, utility rooms, a sensory room and a dedicated adolescent area.

The first floor would accommodate the inpatients' department with 25 single bedrooms with dedicated ensuites and an additional three-bedroom ward.

Altnagelvin hospital in the Waterside in Derry

A new courtyard had also been proposed as part of the plans as an outside space and the design had input from the Altnagelvin parents' group who support parents of children with lifelong medical conditions.

A tender process to engage a contractor had been ongoing.

The architecture firm appointed to the project, TODD Architects, stress the importance of developing a calming environment for the children who use the new unit and their parents.

"We are extremely conscious of the stressful and often traumatic experiences that hospital visits can generate, particularly for children and their parents," they said.

"The environment in which children are greeted, diagnosed and treated is critical and should be as stress-free and feel as non-clinical as possible to generate an air of calmness."

An architect's impression of the courtyard