An additional 2,600 beds are to be provided under the Government’s new national development plan which will see the development of several new hospitals and the extension of a number of others.
The €11 billion health care element of the capital development plan also envisages the provision of 4,500 additional long and short term residential beds in community nursing homes over the ten-year period to 2027.
It says funding will be allocated for the replacement and refurbishment of community nursing homes and long term residential care facilities for older people and people with disabilities.
“Accommodation standards require significant investment through upgrade, refurbishment or replacement. Over the next five years, this will provide for the replacement and refurbishment of 90 public nursing homes across the country. “
The plan also provides for a public private partnership project to deliver community nursing homes.
The plan also sets out that additional primary care and community diagnostic facilities will be put in place.
The plan allocates funding for a number of previously-announced projects such as the new National Children's Hospital in Dublin, the new National Forensic Mental Health Hospital at Portrane and maternity hospitals on the St Vincent's and St James's campuses to replace existing facilities at Holles St and the Coombe.
It says the existing Rotunda maternity hospital and the maternity hospital in Limerick will also be re-developed on acute sites at Connolly Hospital in Dublin and University Hospital Limerick.
There will also be three new elective-only hospitals developed in Dublin, Cork and Galway.
It says a key principle in the future will be the need to achieve greater separation between scheduled and unscheduled care so that the system can respond better to emergency needs without adding to waiting lists for elective procedures.
The plan says the new hospitals for elective or non-urgent cases will provide “high volume, low complexity procedures on a day and out-patient basis along with a range of ambulatory diagnostic services”.
It says it is envisaged that these new elective facilities would be developed adjacent to general hospitals.
As part of major investment in the acute system under the capital plan a new hospital will be developed in Cork while there will be new ward blocks provided at hospitals in Waterford, Limerick, Galway and Portiuncula in Ballinasloe.
Rebuilding work at Letterkenny General Hospital will also see investment in new radiology services.
The plan also envisages new renal dialysis and intensive care facilities at Tallaght, a new endoscopy suite at Naas as well as radiology and MRI facilities at Kilkenny and Mullingar.
There will also be investment in ward accommodation at Cavan and Clonmel while there will be theatre upgrades at the Coombe maternity hospital.
There will also be investment in emergency department facilities at Beaumont and Galway.
The plan also provides for investment in clinical laboratory facilities at the Mater and Connolly hospital in Dublin.
Investments in mental health facilities under the plan include a 40-bed residential unit in Portlaoise, new acute units in Galway, Sligo and Naas and a crisis housing unit in Clonmel.
New ambulance bases at Ardee, Mullingar, Limerick, Cork and Galway are also to be developed.
