A site for a new hospital facility in Limerick has been acquired by the HSE for €14 million, in close proximity to University Hospital Limerick.
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has confirmed the acquisition of the 44-acre site in Raheen, which is 2km from UHL.
A new hospital campus will be built on the site, as per one of the recommendations of the HIQA report to relieve pressure on UHL in Dooradoyle.
The minister said the strategic site is a 28 minute drive from Ennis, Co Clare and a 28 minute drive from Nenagh, Co Tipperary.
Sandra Broderick, Regional Executive Officer, HSE Mid West said that today is an important day for the 10,000 people who work in healthcare in the region.
“Let us not forget that there are people experiencing care on a trolley and today is about making sure that people in the future do not experience care on a trolley,” she said.
UHL provides the only 24-hour emergency department in the region, including Limerick, Clare and north Tipperary. It also receives patients from parts of north Cork and north Kerry.
It consistently has the highest number of patients being treated on hospital trolleys in the country.
A report by HIQA last year stated: “The core issue is that there are not enough inpatient beds in HSE Mid-West which are capable of treating the sickest patients who present for urgent or emergency care”.
It recommended immediate action and investment to address current risks to patient safety in the shortest timeframe and safest way possible.
It made three recommendations: Expand capacity at UHL; add a second site nearby; build a completely new hospital in the midwest with a second emergency department.
The Government pledged to implement a blend of all three options in the report.