The HSE has issued a request for tender for phase 1 of the new elective hospitals in Cork and Galway, it has been announced.
This tender is for an architect-led design team to provide architectural, design and engineering services and for a project control team to support the HSE to manage, control and administer the design/construction programme.
The HSE intends that the teams will be in place in the summer.
The selected sites for the developments are at St Stephen’s Hospital, Sarsfield Court in Cork, and Merlin Park in Galway.
The design and project control teams will build on the work carried out to date to develop these new facilities. The new elective hospitals will be separate from existing hospitals and only carry out planned elective surgery, procedures and treatments.
According to a statement from the Department of Health announcing the tender, this separation of elective from emergency and critical care will lead to fewer cancellations and delays for elective care caused by seasonal surges, localised outbreaks, and surges in emergency attendances.
“This increase in capacity will be key to tackling waiting lists and reducing waiting times for public patients,” the statement says.
Plans for an elective hospital in Dublin are also advanced, and the Minister for Health will shortly bring a memorandum to Government providing an update on the site and progress to date.
As part of the wider elective care programme and in advance of the delivery of elective hospitals, the HSE is currently developing six new surgical hubs at sites across the country. Two surgical hubs in Dublin (Swords and Mount Carmel) are due to become operational this year, with those in Limerick, Waterford, Cork and Galway becoming operational in 2025. These are modelled on the successful Reeves Day Surgery Unit at Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin, which has significantly reduced waiting times for a number of elective procedures.
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