Government is working to address the challenges facing acute care in the Mid West. This is in line with the Programme for Government commitments to increase capacity and open more beds across the Mid West, and to consider all of the HIQA recommendations.
In September 2025, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), published its independent and expert review and advice to the Minister for Health, informing decision-making around the design and delivery of urgent and emergency healthcare services in the Mid West Region. HIQA’s review identifies three potential options for the region:
• expand capacity at the UHL Dooradoyle site (Option A),
• extend the UHL hospital campus to comprise the existing Dooradoyle site and another site (Option B),
• develop a Model 3 hospital in the HSE Mid West, providing a second ED for the region (Option C).
In December 2025, the Minister for Health, having considered the expert advices from HIQA, received Government support for her proposal to adopt a blended approach to the progression of Options A, B and C.
Option A, as presented by HIQA, is being progressed at pace, with 128 additional beds having already been delivered in the Mid West since 2023. All avenues are being explored to deploy additional bed capacity as soon as possible. Current plans to increase capacity at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) will deliver up to 306 beds by the end of 2029. With additional beds planned for other Model 2 Hospitals in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s, this would represent 420 additional beds in the region from 2024 to the end of the Acute Hospital Inpatient Bed Capacity Expansion Plan in 2031.
Other measures are being advanced to cumulatively reduce pressure on acute hospital beds, including:
• A Virtual Ward at UHL, operational since July 2024, with capacity for up to 40 virtual beds.
• Development of additional residential care capacity and enhanced primary and community care services.
• Expansion of National Ambulance Service alternative care pathways.
• Progression of integrated care across the Mid West.
Under Option B, following Government approval, the Minister immediately mandated the HSE to secure a suitable adjacent site for the expansion of the UHL campus. During the first half of 2025, the HSE had already engaged in market research, consultation, review and analysis of the market and potential available sites in the Limerick area to inform its contribution to the HIQA review. Given the preliminary work it carried out, the HSE responded to this mandate at pace. On 10 March, the Minister announced that the HSE had successfully secured a site in Raheen, Limerick. The HSE purchased the site in line with its own internal governance arrangements. The newly acquired, 44-acre site, is just 2km from UHL. This is in line with the HIQA recommendation under Option B and in line with the approach approved by Cabinet in December 2025.
A project board will be established to develop a comprehensive strategic plan for the organisation of services and investment in the Mid West to ensure a sustainable, region-wide model of care. This plan will determine which services must remain on the UHL Dooradoyle campus, which can be relocated to the new Raheen site, and which are appropriate for transfer to Ennis, St John’s, or Nenagh. It will also set out the accelerated infrastructure, bed expansion and hospital capacity required to progress Option C.
These steps will inform plans for service and infrastructure capacity for all the residents of the Mid West region.
