Children’s Health Ireland

What Children’s Health Ireland does

Children's Health Ireland (CHI) is the statutory national provider of acute paediatric healthcare in Ireland, established under the Children's Health Act 2018 and funded primarily by the Health Service Executive (HSE) through a Service Level Agreement under Section 38 of the Health Act 2004. The organisation was created by integrating three pre-existing Dublin children's hospitals — Our Lady's Children's Hospital Crumlin, Temple Street Children's University Hospital and the Tallaght paediatric unit — and now operates four sites across the greater Dublin area: CHI at Crumlin (Ireland's largest acute paediatric teaching hospital, 24/7 ED), CHI at Temple Street (24/7 ED plus neurosurgery and craniofacial specialties), CHI at Tallaght (outpatient and 24-hour emergency care) and CHI at Connolly (urgent care centre, appointment-based). Services span emergency care, outpatient consultations, inpatient care, day-case procedures, surgery, and over 50 specialties including cardiology, neurology, oncology, orthopaedics and a dedicated Spinal Surgery Management Unit established in 2024. The target population is children and young people aged 0 to 16 years, with secondary users being their families and referring healthcare professionals.

The underlying technology platform centres on a digital health stack comprising an Electronic Healthcare Record (providing transparent waiting-list visibility), the MyChart patient portal (launched June 2026 for 24/7 care access), the Swiftqueue self-serve online booking system for blood tests requiring GP referral, and video consultation services. Patient experience is supported by neurodivergent-friendly assets including multi-sensory rooms at all sites, social stories for procedures, and the Needle Heroes information hub. The organisation runs a dedicated Research & Innovation function with an annual Research & Innovation Day and a Young Persons Advisory Group, and has academic partnerships facilitating paediatric education at three sites. It is preparing for the transition to a new National Children's Hospital Ireland (NCHI) on the St James's Hospital campus.

Revenue mechanics are dominated by the HSE block grant; minor transactional streams include a €100 government levy for emergency department visits without GP referral (with exemptions for medical card holders, defence forces and EU EHIC visitors), modest parent accommodation fees of €9–€30 per night, and donations channelled through the exclusive Children's Health Foundation charity partnership. Go-to-market is direct service delivery through the four hospital sites, with referrals flowing from GPs and hospital doctors via a Central Referrals Office handling ENT, Rheumatology, General Surgery, Plastics and Urology; communications reach patients and families through the website, a quarterly newsletter, social media channels and patient experience surveys. There are no external shareholders or investors; the entity is governed by a Board of Directors under its statutory framework, with the Health Service Executive acting as parent funding entity.

Name

Children’s Health Ireland

Legal name

Children's Health Ireland

Website

https://childrenshealthireland.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Children's Health Ireland is the statutory national provider of acute paediatric healthcare in Ireland, operating four hospital locations in Dublin (Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght, Connolly urgent care). Funded by the HSE, it delivers 24/7 emergency, outpatient, surgical and over 50 specialist paediatric services to children aged 0–16.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Paediatric Healthcare Services

NAICS

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (6221), General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (622110)

SIC

Services-Hospitals (8060), Services-General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, Nec (8062)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Hospitals & Pediatric Health Systems (HLAFAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Children’s Hospitals (Acute Care) (HLAFAAAI), Pediatric Urgent Care & After-Hours Clinics (HLAFAJAI), Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine Practices (HLAFAJAF)

Keywords

• Paediatric healthcare services
• Acute children's hospital
• Specialist paediatric clinics
• Paediatric surgery services
• Paediatric diagnostics

Headquarters

HQ city

Crumlin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government Healthcare Funding: CHI is funded by the Health Service Executive (HSE) through a Service Level Agreement under Section 38 of the Health Act 2004. This is the primary funding source for operations.
2. Patient Fees and Hospital Charges: Government levy of €100 applies for emergency department attendance without GP referral. Additional fees for outpatient services and procedures as per Department of Health guidelines.
3. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Children's Health Foundation raises vital funds to support sick children and their families. Donations collected through the foundation's fundraising activities.
4. Parent Accommodation Fees: Fees charged for parent accommodation units ranging from €9-€30 per night depending on room type and medical card status.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Children's Health Ireland operates as Ireland's national paediatric healthcare provider, delivering acute hospital care, specialist outpatient clinics, surgery, and child-focused diagnostics across four hospital sites in Dublin (Crumlin, Temple Street, Tallaght, and Connolly). Services span emergency departments, urgent care, inpatient and outpatient care, and specialised tertiary and quaternary services including cardiology, neurology, oncology, orthopaedics, and spinal surgery. Digital health tools such as the MyChart patient portal, Electronic Healthcare Record, and Swiftqueue online booking support care delivery.

Product overview

Children's Health Ireland (CHI) is a healthcare provider operating a network of four hospital locations in Dublin (CHI at Crumlin, CHI at Temple Street, CHI at Tallaght, and CHI at Connolly) plus the developing National Children's Hospital Ireland. The core offering consists of acute paediatric healthcare services including 24-hour Emergency Departments, outpatient clinics, urgent care, and specialized services spanning cardiology, neurology, oncology, orthopaedics, spinal surgery, and more. Digital health services include MyChart patient portal for accessing care records, video consultations, and Electronic Healthcare Records providing transparent access to waiting list positions. Patient support programs include the Needle Heroes information hub for managing needle anxiety, Hospital Social Stories for neurodivergent children, and Multi-Sensory Rooms across all sites. The organization is transitioning toward the new National Children's Hospital Ireland being built at St James's Hospital campus.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CHI at Crumlin Ireland's largest acute paediatric teaching hospital providing national quaternary and tertiary healthcare services and secondary care for the local catchment area, with a 24-hour Emergency Department.
• CHI at Temple Street Acute national paediatric teaching hospital providing 24/7 emergency care, outpatient care, and a range of specialties including neurosurgery and craniofacial services.
• CHI at Tallaght Hospital providing outpatient and Emergency Care Unit services with 24-hour availability for medical emergencies, walk-in trauma, burns, asthma, and other paediatric conditions.
• CHI at Connolly Urgent Care Centre Outpatient clinics and Urgent Care Centre providing treatment for minor injuries and illnesses by appointment, open 9am-5pm daily including Bank Holidays.
• Emergency Department Services 24-hour emergency care for children and young people up to the eve of their 16th birthday at the Crumlin, Temple Street, and Tallaght locations.
• Outpatient Services Specialist consultations in private treatment rooms for appointments, diagnosis, and procedures with facilities for blood tests and X-rays during visits.
• Video Consultations Remote consultation services allowing patients to meet with healthcare providers via video technology.
• Blood Tests Blood testing services booked through the Swiftqueue online system with GP referral required, available at all hospital sites.
• Spinal Surgery Management Unit Specialised unit established to deliver safe, world-class paediatric spinal surgery, with a target of 540 procedures annually and reduced waiting lists.
• MyChart Patient Portal Patient portal providing access to care at CHI anytime, anywhere for viewing records and managing appointments.
• Multi-Sensory Rooms Specially designed spaces featuring fibre optics, soft lighting, wall projections, tactile objects, and twinkle lights available across all CHI sites to help reduce stress and anxiety for children.
• Digital Health Services Technology, systems, services, and expertise supporting the delivery of modern healthcare across CHI locations, including Electronic Healthcare Records.

Quantifiable outcome

• Spinal surgery waiting list reduced from 231 to 199 patients (14% decrease)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Children's Health FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHI's exclusive fundraising partner that raises vital funds to support sick children and their families in Children's Health Ireland hospitals and urgent care centres. The foundation operates donations through childrenshealth.ie/donate.
• National Paediatric Hospital Development BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment board responsible for the new children's hospital (NCH) project being built on a shared campus at St James's Hospital. CHI leads on clinical and operational transformation as part of this project.
• Academic Partners (Universities)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHI facilitates learning and education at three of its sites (Crumlin, Temple Street, and Tallaght) in partnership with academic institutions for paediatric medicine education.
• Ronald McDonald House CharitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRonald McDonald housing charity provides accommodation on the CHI at Crumlin campus for up to 20 families each night, offering a home away from home for families of children receiving treatment.
• Tallaght University HospitalminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCHI subcontracts Tallaght University Hospital to provide certain services to CHI patients at the CHI at Tallaght location, enabling shared campus operations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids): Canada's largest pediatric academic health sciences centre, dedicated exclusively to children, with research, teaching, and quaternary care mandates. Directly comparable to CHI as a national pediatric centre combining clinical excellence, research output, and child-centred design.
• Children's Health (Dallas): US pediatric health system operating multiple hospital sites delivering acute, specialty, and quaternary pediatric care. Comparable to CHI as a multi-site pediatric provider consolidating complex pediatric services across a metropolitan catchment.
• Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH): UK's national pediatric teaching hospital providing quaternary and tertiary care, research, and teaching across a broad range of specialties. Highly comparable to CHI as a publicly funded national children's hospital with academic and research mandates and statutory national referral role.
• Boston Children's Hospital: US pediatric academic medical center and the largest dedicated pediatric hospital in the region, with extensive specialty services, research, and innovation programs. Comparable to CHI's quaternary care, research, and teaching footprint in an academic medical setting.
• Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center: Major US pediatric academic medical center with a large research enterprise and integrated specialty care across more than 50 pediatric disciplines. Comparable to CHI's broad specialty coverage and academic/teaching hospital positioning.
• Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust: One of the largest and busiest children's hospitals in Europe, providing acute specialist pediatric care, research, and teaching. Comparable to CHI in offering comprehensive inpatient, emergency, outpatient, and surgical pediatric services with a public-sector funding model.
• Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne: Australia's major specialist pediatric hospital, a public hospital with a research institute and university affiliations. Directly comparable to CHI as a large acute pediatric teaching hospital delivering tertiary/quaternary care and innovation in child health.
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP): One of the oldest and largest pediatric hospitals in the US, with a leading research institute and broad specialty services. Comparable to CHI as a dedicated national/regional pediatric academic medical centre combining tertiary care, research, and teaching.
• Nationwide Children's Hospital: Large US pediatric academic medical centre with an attached research institute and broad specialty service line. Comparable to CHI's combined mandate of acute pediatric care delivery, teaching, and pediatric research.
• Seattle Children's Hospital: US pediatric academic health system providing tertiary and quaternary care, research, and teaching across a wide range of pediatric specialties. Comparable to CHI as a multi-site academic pediatric provider with a national/regional referral role.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CHI_Ireland
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChildrensHealthIE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/childrens-health-ireland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Children’s Health Ireland