Concern has emerged that the appropriate hospital beds won’t be delivered for Clare patients at a new €14m site to serve the MidWest.
The newly published terms of reference for the development of a new hospital campus in Raheen have made no explicit commitment to the provision of acute beds.
Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill had previously indicated there would be a new Emergency Department constructed at the site, following a HIQA recommendation.
Friends of Ennis Hospital Chair Angela Coll says this course of action needs to be expedited given the risk to patients at UHL this Winter.
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Department of Health Statement
This Government is committed to delivering better health services for the people of the Mid West region.
That is why, in July 2026, the Minister for Health appointed Sean O’Driscoll to chair the Mid West Health Planning Board in response to the HIQA review on the design and delivery of urgent and emergency healthcare services in the region.
This Board is central to the medium- to longer-term solution for improved healthcare – quality care close to home – for the people of Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary. Its works is ongoing in parallel to increasing the capacity at the hospitals across the Region. That Board began its work in September and it will finalise the delivery of a Service and Infrastructure Plan for the Mid West within nine months.
The Terms of Reference for the Board are clear that the Board is responsible for providing strategic direction and oversight of the development of the Plan that delivers on a “blended approach”, combining elements of Options A, B and C of the HIQA Review:
· Option A: Expand capacity at University Hospital Limerick (UHL), Dooradoyle
· Option B: Extend the UHL hospital campus to include an additional adjacent site
· Option C: Develop a Model 3 hospital in the Mid West, providing a second Emergency Department
HIQA’s report acknowledged that Options A and B seek to address capacity issues within a Model 4 construct, while Option C represents a fundamental change in the overall design and configuration of healthcare service delivery in the Mid West. It notes that further adaptation may be necessary to account for all relevant factors when deciding the most appropriate way to provide additional bed capacity now and in the short and longer term.
The report also noted that Options A or B, or a variation of same, would offer the potential to provide capacity in a shorter timeframe than Option C.
In December 2025, Government agreed to progress with a blend of the proposed HIQA options A, B, and C to respond to the challenges in the Mid West, with the Board tasked with developing a coherent service and infrastructure plan for the region.
Substantial investment continues, and progress is being made to provide additional acute beds in the region and to increase capacity at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) in line with HIQA’s Option A. This includes the delivery of a new 96-bed block in October 2025 and two 16-bed blocks completed in 2024 and 2025, with construction of an additional 16 beds underway to be completed by the end of the year.
Capacity in the Mid West has grown since January 2020, with 278 additional acute beds opening across the Mid West, including 236 at UHL. More recently, the contract was also awarded for the main construction works to deliver a second 96-bed block, and a design team has been appointed for an additional 66-bed block at UHL.
Across Ennis, St John’s and Nenagh Model 2 Hospitals, an additional 114 beds are planned by 2031. In total, 420 regional beds are expected to be delivered between 2024 and 2031. The Mid West Surgical Hub will open later this year, which will significantly enhance access to elective care and reduce pressure on acute services.
The acquisition of the Raheen site by the HSE in March 2026 is in line with and directly responds to HIQA’s Option B- to extend UHL as a model 4 acute hospital campus, operating a two-site model under the same governance structures. The Board is assessing the future development approach for Raheen in line with the Terms of Reference.
It is also important to recognise that the Board is charged with developing a plan covering existing services and future additional provision. To ensure that the right service are being delivered in the right locations for the people of the region. The plan will place particular focus on where and how these services can be provided and, on that basis, where and how infrastructure can best enable service reconfiguration in the region.
The role of the Board is planning and, following the publication of the Plan, the HSE will develop and deliver on an implementation plan to advance the work of the Board.
Stakeholder engagement is also a core part of the work of the Board, with structured input from patient advocates, healthcare teams, public representatives, and the wider regional community.
The Terms of Reference for the Mid West Health Planning Board set out how the Board will carry out its work. The terms of reference were agreed by the Board following its first meeting in September. The Board should be given the time needed to develop a credible roadmap for safe, accessible and sustainable healthcare in the Mid West, with decisions informed by evidence, regional input and the needs of patients and communities. It would not be appropriate to pre-empt this work, or to speculate on the direction of its findings, before it has had the opportunity to consider the evidence and engage with the relevant stakeholders.
The Minister remains focused on ensuring that the recommendations arising from HIQA’s assessment are implemented in a timely and coordinated manner, and that people in the Mid West have access to safe, high-quality, and reliable care.
