The site locations for a number of new surgical hubs have been announced by the Minister for Health.

The hubs are being developed in key locations nationwide. The aim is to have an impact on day case waiting lists in advance of the development of regional elective hospitals.

It is also envisaged that they will allow hospitals to focus on other areas of waiting lists as many day case procedures can be moved to the hubs.

The following sites have been selected:

-Galway – Merlin Park University Hospital (modular build)

-Cork – Cork University Hospital (modular build)

-Waterford - University Hospital Waterford (modular build)

-Limerick – site being finalised (rapid modular build)

-Dublin south – Mount Carmel Hospital (refurbished)

-Dublin north – site being finalised (turnkey fit out).

The hubs are being modeled on the Reeves Centre at Tallaght University Hospital. In its first 24 months of operation, the total number of patients waiting for day case surgeries fell by 58%. There was also a 91% reduction in patients waiting over three months.

Minister Stephen Donnelly insisted that the hubs “will address waiting lists in the shorter term and will complement the longer-term development of regional elective hospitals in Galway, Cork and Dublin”.

“We continue to see the successful operation of the surgical hub at the Reeves Centre in Tallaght University Hospital where many waiting lists for day case procedures have fallen dramatically and been eliminated,” he commented.

He added that he has asked the HSE to ensure that the first of the new hubs will be operational before the end of 2023, “with more following in 2024”.