Hospital Facilities
Dail Éireann — 2025-12-10
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Mary Butler (FF), Waterford

I thank the Deputy for that. The Minister will update her Cabinet colleagues before Christmas on her considered response. I acknowledge the fact the Deputy appreciates there is work going on to increase capacity and additional funding has been provided. UHL's budget has increased from €265 million in 2019 to €507 million in 2024. I will also touch on the two rapid build 16-bed units opened in December 2024 and June 2025, respectively, and the 96-bed block that was opened in October 2025, which the Deputy spoke about, to provide an additional 128 beds in the region, since the ESRI assessment of capacity in 2023. This has already helped reduce the number of people waiting on trolleys, notwithstanding the pressures all hospitals are currently facing due to the increased presentations by people sick with the flu. A second new 96-bed block is in progress at UHL and a third 16-bed block is planned for 2026.
Bed capacity has been further expanded throughout the region, through the acute hospital inpatient bed capacity expansion plan, including 24 new beds at Nenagh Hospital, 48 new beds at Ennis Hospital and 42 new beds at St. John's Hospital.
It is expected that there will be at least an additional 420 beds in the region by 2031. Other initiatives for the region include the acute virtual ward for 25 patients, which went live in UHL in July 2024. I will also touch on the staff, especially those working in the emergency department with the constantly increasing presentations every day. They are the front line and do a phenomenal job.
However, I take on board every word the Deputy said. I know people are waiting in anticipation for the Minister's response. She has said she will bring it to the Cabinet before Christmas and I will speak to her after this debate to let her know about the Deputy's strength of feeling. Everyone accepts and acknowledges that there is not enough capacity of acute hospital beds in the region at the moment. I thank the Deputy again for his advocacy.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-12-10/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:27+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-12-10