Overview

• HIQA outlined three pathways: expand capacity at the Dooradoyle site, extend the campus to a nearby second site without a new emergency department, or develop a Model 3 hospital with a second 24/7 ED.
• The authority advises that expansion or a nearby extension would add beds soonest, whereas a new hospital would take far longer, cost more and pose recruitment challenges.
• Overcrowding remains severe, with 147 admitted patients without beds at UHL on September 29, the highest trolley pressures nationally according to INMO figures.
• HSE Mid West says the first 96-bed unit will open imminently and notes two rapid-build 16-bed wards are in place, as ED attendances this year are up 11%, the highest increase in the country.
• HIQA says the 128 additional beds due by year-end will not close the gap, and a second 96-bed block is under planning appeal and unlikely to be operational before 2029 if approved.