Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 July 2025
793. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Health the progress regarding the co-location of the UHL maternity hospital to the Dooradoyle campus; if she will provide an estimated timeline for such a move to be completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37334/25]
View answerIt is Government policy, in line with international best practice and as re-iterated in the National Maternity Strategy, to co-locate our remaining standalone maternity hospitals with adult acute hospitals.
Co-location of maternity services with adult services provides mothers with access to a full range of medical and support services should the need arise. The availability of these services helps ensure the delivery of an optimum, safe service, particularly for high-risk mothers and babies.
Co-location of the National Maternity Hospital to the St Vincent’s Hospital campus, which is the first maternity hospital to be co-located under the National Maternity Strategy, is currently subject to a tender process to select the contractor to build that new facility.
The co-location of University Maternity Hospital Limerick to the University Hospital Limerick campus in Dooradoyle is considered to be the next maternity co-location project. The scale and complexity of delivering a new maternity hospital means that the co-location will be considered a major capital project and subject to the requirements of D/PENDR's Infrastructure Guidelines. This proposal is currently at an early appraisal stage with a Strategic Assessment Report/ Preliminary Business Case under development.
