Preliminary business case for new Cork hospital to be reviewed by Department of Public Expenditure
Earlier this week, the Health Minister Stephen Donnelly confirmed in the Dáil that the preliminary business case for the hospital was received on Monday and was being assessed by Department officials.
The preliminary business case for a new elective hospital for Cork is to be sent to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Department of Health for review before being brought before the Government for consideration.
Earlier this week, the Health Minister Stephen Donnelly confirmed in the Dáil that the preliminary business case for the hospital was received on Monday and was being assessed by Department officials.
While it has been reported that the St Stephen’s Hospital campus in Glanmire is the preferred site for the project, Mr Donnelly refused to be drawn on this and said that while a recommendation had been made for a preferred site for the project, that “no site has been agreed.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Health said on Thursday that details of the possible site options were not being released at this time.
“Preliminary Business Cases for elective hospitals in Cork, Galway and Dublin have been received in the Department. In line with the Public Spending Code, they will be subject to technical review by the Department of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, including through the recently introduced External Assurance Process. Pending favourable review(s), Memoranda for Government would then be brought forward for consideration the programme for Cork, Galway and Dublin. Details of possible site options are not being released in advance of these reviews or possible decisions,” the spokesperson said.
The Health Minister has said it is his intention that the Government would move quickly on getting the project across the line, and said in the Dáil this week that hospitals in Cork were under “enormous sustained pressure”.
“There are not enough hospital beds, there is not enough acute capacity and there is not enough community capacity in Cork. We all know this and that it is not a small deficit but a very serious one. There are phenomenal clinical teams in community care, social care and hospital care in Cork. There are brilliant hospitals there. However, the health service in Cork is under enormous sustained pressure. The HSE recently intervened directly, as Deputies will be aware, and that had an impact, but it is not remotely enough,” he said.
The Minister said that in parallel with putting in place a regional elective centre based in Cork, the Government is also looking, as a matter of urgency, at how it can very quickly add more capacity including in diagnostics, beds, operating theatres, community-based care, home care options and so forth.
“The system is under unsustainable pressure and it needs serious investment. It is a very big priority for me to get moving on that and identify exactly what is needed. The funding is there and we will drive on,” he said.
Fine Gael TD for Cork North Central Colm Burke has long advocated for the new elective hospital to be developed at the Sarsfield Court site in Glanmire and said he continues to do so.
“I believe that the HSE should not be expending money for acquiring additional land for an elective hospital as they are already the owner of land at Sarsfield Court, Glanmire on the eastern side of Cork city and this site should be considered for development,” he said.
In advance of consideration of the business case, the Fine Gael Health spokesperson said that he believes consideration should be given to putting a private partnership in place to build the hospital.
“The private sector could then design, build, finance and sell back to the HSE over a period of time. I believe that this is the quickest, most efficient way of seeing this hospital come to fruition,” he said.
Meanwhile, Cork city councillors have this week agreed zoning changes to the area surrounding St Stephen’s Hospital.
Green Party Cllr Oliver Moran said that at a meeting on Wednesday night, councillors discussed proposed amendments received from the public and other bodies on the draft city development plan.
These included a submission from the HSE seeking the proposed rezoning of the St Stephen’s Hospital campus from “ZO 21 City Hinterland” to “ZO 14 Institutions and Community”, in recognition of its long-established use and the provide support for its future expansion.
Ward councillors agreed the submission but recommended that the northern-most field proposed to be rezoned be omitted as it falls within the area for consideration for the route of the Northern Ring Road.
It also proposed to designate an area of deciduous woodland as ZO 18 Landscape Preservation Zone and to include an Objective for a Site Framework Plan for the campus, to ensure that its future development is plan-led.
Cllr Moran said that the zonings would recognise the landscape and natural heritage of the area, “which is itself a key part of a holistic look at health.” He is also in favour of the new elective hospital being developed on the Glanmire campus.
“St Stephen's is already a well-established health campus with excellent access from the M8 and from the southside of the city through the tunnel. The draft BusConnects routes extend public transport links to the campus, which will be critical for the locating of a hospital,” he said.
