Funding award a shot in the arm for long-awaited Cork elective hospital

Plans for a long-awaited elective hospital on the site of the St Stephen’s Hospital in Glanmire got a boost last week as it was awarded funding under the HSE capital plan 2026.

The plans for the new hospital, located at Sarsfield Court, were formally approved for the planning phase by the Government in December 2022. This followed earlier site identification processes, with the facility intended to significantly reduce waiting times as part of the regional elective care programme.

In the 2025 capital plan, €1.2m was also awarded to progress the elective hospital and, in the most recent plan, an allocation of €2.2m for the elective hospital, to take it to design feasibility stage, was announced.

The plan also saw St Stephen’s awarded €2.2m for the appraisal stage of the replacement of its mental health unit and €1.2m for the design feasibility stage of the reconfiguration of the existing ground floor and a vertical extension to create extra beds.

The announcement came as part of the awarding of almost €112m for Cork health projects under the HSE’s building and equipment capital plan for 2026.

Welcome news

Cork North Central Fine Gael TD Colm Burke said the investment “is welcome news that will help bring healthcare services closer to home and better meet the needs of patients and families in our community”.

He added: “It is particularly welcome to see funding for the elective hospital in Cork. The population of Cork has grown substantially over the last two decades. This will help expand capacity and cater for increased demand for healthcare services in Cork.”

However, Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould said: “I am very sceptical that this project will advance this year. We have had promise after promise broken by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael on the hospital. This should be long built; instead, there’s more money being allocated to design and feasibility. What is not feasible is to continue with our health service in crisis.”

Delayed

The Echo revealed last November that plans for the elective hospital may be delayed due to issues with road infrastructure, with planning applications being stalled due to concerns about access to the site.

Brian O’Connor, the HSE’s head of strategic health infrastructure and capital, told the Oireachtas health committee that “the biggest single issue” with the new facility was getting access to it and that it was “working with the council to see if there is a solution”.

An HSE spokesperson told The Echo last month that a team is actively working on the design of the hospital: “This includes carrying out surveys and site investigations to inform the design as it develops towards the submission of a planning-permission application.

“The design team is identifying the enabling works required for the site. A key issue emerging is road access, and the HSE continues to engage with Cork City Council to find a solution.”