The Minister for Health is coming under increased pressure to address urgent and emergency healthcare needs in the Mid-West after she was sent a letter from Oireachtas members from the region, including party colleague Minister Patrick O'Donovan.
The letter, signed by 14 politicians, including Fianna Fáil ministers Timmy Dooley and Niall Collins, calls on Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to establish a Hospital Development Board tasked with preparing a comprehensive plan for the delivery of a new hospital in the Mid-West.
It was one of three options set out in a recent HIQA report, which recommended expanding capacity at UHL, adding a second site nearby, or building a completely new hospital with a second emergency department.
The letter to the Minister for Health is described as "a cross-party proposal", signed by members from counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary, and co-signed by the HSE Patient and Service User Council, the representative body for approximately 420,000 patients across the region.
It states that any further expansion beyond another 96 bed unit at the existing UHL site, Option A, is "neither feasible nor deliverable given the site’s extreme congestion".
"Furthermore, Option A alone will barely deliver what is necessary for the very short term, will clearly not futureproof healthcare services across the Mid-West region and would deny its citizens of a standard of healthcare comparable to that of other health regions in the country."
The letter states that it is the view of the 14 Oireachtas members that she should immediately direct the senior management team of the HSE Mid-West to "identify and acquire a suitable new site, along with a fully costed and time-bound delivery plan, prioritising bed block delivery in tandem with proposed capital investment in clinical infrastructure, to be submitted no later than 1 April 2026".
It said this would clearly demonstrate "to us as elected representatives, and to the public, your intention to deliver Option B in a timely manner".
The politicians further request that the minister instruct the HSE Mid-West management team to establish a Hospital Development Board tasked with preparing a comprehensive plan for the delivery of a new hospital in the region, Option C.
The members also state that it is "essential" that Minister Carroll MacNeill include the indicative costings for these proposals in the revised National Development Plan in order to provide "clear evidence to our constituents and service users across the Mid-West of the commitment from you Minister, your Department, and that of Government, to delivering equitable and sustainable healthcare for all citizens".
As well as Government ministers, the letter was also signed by Deputy Joe Cooney, Deputy Willie O’Dea, Deputy Cathal Crowe, Deputy Maurice Quinlivan, and Deputy Donna McGettigan, Deputy Richard O’Donoghue, Deputy Ryan O’Meara, Senator Maria Byrne, Senator Joanne Collins, Senator Martin Conway, Senator Dee Ryan, as well as John Wall, chairperson of the HSE Patient and Service User Council.
