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This is the fifth national report published from the Irish Paediatric Critical Care Audit. It provides detailed information on the care and outcomes of children admitted to the two Paediatric Critical Care Units at Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) at Crumlin and Temple Street, including admissions, specialist transports and key quality indicators.
In 2024, there were 1,715 admissions to the two units, which delivered a total of 10,274 bed days. Almost three-quarters (73%) of these bed days were provided at CHI at Crumlin. Overall, 97% of children survived to discharge from paediatric critical care. The report also highlights improvements in specialist transport times and a reduction in respiratory admissions among newborn babies, alongside ongoing challenges relating to capacity, staffing and access to specialist services.
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Oscar’s story, which is included in the report, began with a prenatal diagnosis of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) at 18 weeks’ gestation, leading to a complex pregnancy that included fetal surgery in Belgium to improve his chances of survival. Born at 34 weeks in the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Oscar was transferred to PCCU at CHI at Crumlin, where he faced a prolonged critical care journey. Oscar’s resilience, combined with the compassion of staff and the involvement of his family in his care, laid the foundation for the next stage of his remarkable journey.
Here, his mother Clare shares their experience.
The RSV immunisation programme should be continued and supported nationally as a preventative measure to reduce severe respiratory illness with potential to alleviate demand on paediatric critical care services. NOCA will continue to monitor reasons for admission to PCCU and assess the impact of changes to the RSV immunisation programme on paediatric critical care services, with findings informing service planning and policy decision-making.
Strengthen data systems and audit infrastructure supported by dedicated local data management resources, to enable comprehensive paediatric critical care reporting, service planning and quality improvement.
Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) should continue planning for the required increase in the workforce of paediatric critical care medicine consultants, trainees, nurses, and allied health professionals for the safe opening and operation of the National Children’s Hospital (NCH) Critical Care Unit with 32–42 beds. This should be part of a comprehensive published CHI workforce document that is in line with medical, nursing, and health and social care professional (HSCP) national standards.
A national paediatric respiratory extracorporeal life support (ECLS) programme should be progressed in CHI.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) should support the development of regional Paediatric High Dependency Units (PHDUs) in hospitals providing regional paediatric surgical facilities. It is essential that future planning includes regional investment in the development of regional PHDUs.
Continue the extension of specialist paediatric transport services to operate 24 hours per day, 7 days per week by resourcing the Irish Paediatric Acute Transport Service (IPATS).
Organ Donation Transplant Ireland (ODTI) and CHI should progress the appointment of organ donation personnel.
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The webinar brought together clinicians, audit experts, patient representatives and healthcare leaders to share findings from Ireland’s national paediatric audits and registries, and to explore how data are supporting improvements in care for children and young people. Presentations highlighted key findings from the National Paediatric Mortality Register National Report 2026 and the Irish Paediatric Critical Care Audit National Report 2024, providing insights into child mortality trends, paediatric critical care activity, patient outcomes and quality improvement initiatives. The programme also featured family perspectives through Daniel’s Story and Oscar’s Story, alongside presentations on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the impact of the RSV immunisation programme, and developments in paediatric data collection through the National Paediatric Mortality Register.
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