BREAKING: Minister for Health to recommend building a new hospital campus in Limerick

MINISTER for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill looks to have selected which of the options presented in the HIQA review into healthcare in the Mid-West that she will propose to Cabinet.

The HIQA report outlined three options and it now appears that Options A and B are to be brought forward.

Deputy Willie O'Dea has confirmed to Limerick Live that the Minister is to recommend a new build hospital in Limerick.

“Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has confirmed to me that she intends to pursue both Option A and Option B of the HIQA report, which would mean further expansion at the current UHL site in addition to a second hospital campus in close proximity of Dooradoyle, which will share governance," outlined Deputy O'Dea.

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It is understood there are also plans for expanded services at St John’s, Ennis and Nenagh hospitals, including more bed capacity, as well as an improved ambulance service.

It is hoped the memo will be brought to Cabinet within weeks.

“This is good news for the Mid-West region, which has been paying the price of the closure of the three A&E departments at Ennis, St John’s in Limerick, and Nenagh since 2009. The Minister is to bring her proposal to Cabinet before Christmas and I will be fighting to ensure that her proposal is accepted and we can get construction on the new hospital underway as soon as possible. It looks likely that the proposed model that a new hospital site will have to be identified in an area that is commutable for medical staff and patients," outlined Mr O'Dea.

“Ultimately, this will all have to go to Cabinet before Christmas for sign-off by Government but I am confident that we will have good news for the region and hopefully, in the new year, dialogue about where a new hospital could be built and how quickly beds that are needed in the very short term can be delivered.”

This evening's news comes after the long-awaited HIQA review into healthcare in the Mid-West was published in October and identified three options: expanding current capacity at University Hospital Limerick (UHL)’s site in Dooradoyle (Option A); extending the campus to a second site in close proximity under a shared governance and resourcing model (Option B); or developing a new Model 3 hospital in the Mid-West region which would provide a second ED for the region (Option C).

“In the last Government, I, along with Deputy Cathal Crowe and Deputy Jackie Cahill, went to then Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and made it clear that the practice of funnelling half a million people through one A&E in Limerick was a failed experiment and that the healthcare provision in the region needed to be expanded. In response, he ordered HIQA to examine the healthcare needs of the Mid-West and it is as a result of that report that we have the Minister’s decision today."