A new 18-bed neonatal unit has been officially opened at Children's Health Ireland (CHI) at Crumlin in Dublin.
It includes six neonatal high dependency beds for babies with additional care needs.
CHI said that together with six well-established neonatal high dependency beds in CHI at Temple Street, this will provide long-planned specialised cots for a particularly vulnerable group of patients.
The new unit will transfer directly into the new children's hospital on the St James's Hospital campus in a few years.
It will also contain specialist equipment, suitable for taking care of small and delicate babies.
In 2021, the neonatology service at CHI at Crumlin and Temple Street cared for more than 460 babies.
Neonatal patients can sometimes stay for months in hospital.
