First look inside state-of-the-art €90m surgical hub in Cork city

Four operating theatres for same-day procedures

14:40, 28 Sep 2026Updated 14:47, 28 Sep 2026

Professor John R. Higgins, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, at the new surgical hub(Image: HSE)

A brand new surgical facility has opened at the campus of Cork University Hospital – offering same-day care closer to home for city residents.

Fresh from his visit to New York for the UN General Assembly, the Taoiseach returned to his home town to cut the ribbon on the new facility today. The near-€90 million purpose-built facility has been designed to provide dedicated elective surgical, outpatient and minor procedure capacity, with an emphasis on timely care.

The new HSE South West hub includes four operating theatres, outpatient consultation rooms, minor procedure rooms, patient assessment and recovery areas as well as dedicated staff facilities. The space is set to deliver same day procedures – allowing patients to attend for treatment, recover and then return home on the same day if clinically appropriate.

You can see inside the hub in the video below, shared today by HSE South West:

An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin TD said he was “absolutely delighted” to open the new centre: “This facility will increase capacity for planned care, helping thousands more patients access treatment sooner in a modern, dedicated environment.

“The opening of this Hub marks an important milestone in the continued development of healthcare services in the South West. It demonstrates what can be achieved through sustained investment in healthcare infrastructure and will make a real difference for patients and families by improving access to high-quality elective care closer to home.”

The new hub at the CUH campus(Image: HSE)

Professor John R Higgins, Regional Director Strategic Planning and Performance, HSE South West added: “The HSE South West Surgical Hub represents a significant enhancement of elective care services in the region. The Hub will play an important role in expanding access to planned care, while supporting the continued development of elective services across the South West.

“This facility is the result of a tremendous collective effort. The operating theatres and procedure rooms set a new standard for surgical infrastructure in Ireland. We cannot wait to welcome patients into the hub.”

Pádraig Rice, TD for Cork South Central and Social Democrats Health Spokesperson, also welcomed the opening, but added that the new hub must be properly staffed: “These facilities are needed to ensure that emergency and urgent care does not crowd-out elective care – non-emergency, planned procedures – which makes waiting lists and waiting times longer.

“However, this surgical hub will only be successful if it is appropriately resourced and staffed. Given that the local management has been stripped of their powers, I have serious concerns that this will happen. Simply redeploying staff from one site to another is not the answer.

“While there is no doubt that this new surgical hub will help ease pressure in the short-term; only a standalone elective hospital can deliver the capacity needed to significantly reduce waiting times and free up capacity in CUH and the wider South West region.”

Anne O’Connor, HSE, CEO, said: “The new Surgical Hub is much more than a new healthcare building. It represents a new model of care. By creating dedicated, protected capacity for planned procedures, we can reduce the impact that emergency pressures have on scheduled surgery and provide greater certainty for patients and their families. It will help us reduce waiting times, improve access to care, and ensure more people receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.”

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