Health Minister Announces Progress on New Regional Elective Hospitals in Cork and Galway
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has revealed a significant milestone in the development of new Regional Elective Hospitals in Cork and Galway. The Health Service Executive (HSE) has initiated a ‘request for tender’ for Phase 1 of these hospitals, marking a crucial step forward in enhancing healthcare infrastructure.
The tender seeks an Architect-led Design Team to provide architectural, design, and engineering services, along with a Project Control Team to support the HSE in managing and administering the design and construction program. The HSE aims to have these teams in place by the summer.
The selected sites for these developments are St Stephen’s Hospital, Sarsfield Court in Cork, and Merlin Park in Galway.
These hospitals will operate independently from existing facilities, focusing solely on planned elective surgery, procedures, and treatments. By segregating elective services from emergency and critical care, the hospitals aim to minimize cancellations and delays caused by seasonal surges, localized outbreaks, and emergency admissions. This increased capacity will play a crucial role in addressing waiting lists and reducing wait times for public patients.
Plans for an elective hospital in Dublin are also progressing well, with the Minister set to provide a comprehensive update to the Government shortly.
As part of the broader Elective Care Programme, the HSE is concurrently developing six new Surgical Hubs across the country. Two hubs in Dublin (Swords and Mt Carmel) are scheduled to commence operations this year, followed by hubs in Limerick, Waterford, Cork, and Galway in 2025. Modeled after the successful Reeves Day Surgery Unit at Tallaght, these hubs have proven effective in reducing waiting times for various elective procedures.
Key Points:
- Elective-only hospitals focus on high-volume, relatively low-acuity cases, offering day case, GI endoscopy, minor operations, outpatient treatment, and diagnostics services.
- The demand model for Phase 1 of the Elective Hospitals Programme in Cork and Galway is based on 10 specialties covering 497 day procedures for suitable adult patients, operating on a 12-hour schedule, six days a week, for 50 weeks per year.
This progress underscores the government’s commitment to enhancing healthcare infrastructure and addressing the needs of patients across Ireland.
