Written answers

Wednesday, 12 November 2025

Department of Health

Emergency Departments

Photo of Barry HeneghanBarry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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1005. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which the capital investment planned for Beaumont Hospital’s emergency department compares with other major Dublin hospitals in terms of per-bed or per-patient capital spend; if additional funding is being considered given population growth in the catchment area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61417/25]

Photo of Barry HeneghanBarry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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1006. To ask the Minister for Health if the design and planning stages for Beaumont Hospital’s emergency department planned redevelopment have been completed; if planning permission has been lodged or approved; when tendering for construction is expected to begin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61418/25]

Photo of Barry HeneghanBarry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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1007. To ask the Minister for Health the current status of Beaumont Hospital’s emergency department planned redevelopment; if the project remains a priority item under the HSE Capital Plan; the expected timeline for completion of each phase of the project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61419/25]

Photo of Jennifer Carroll MacNeillJennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1005, 1006 and 1007 together.

Beaumont Hospital, as a large Model 4, academic teaching hospital, provides emergency and acute care services across 54 medical specialties to a local community of some 290,000 people. In addition, Beaumont Hospital is a designated Cancer Centre and the regional treatment centre for Ear, Nose & Throat, and Gastroenterology, the national referral centre for Neurosurgery and Neurology, Renal Transplantation, and Cochlear Implantation.

In January 2025, Beaumont Hospital launched its five-year strategy “Building Excellence in Care, Together”, focused on delivering patient-centred care and modernising infrastructure to meet evolving healthcare needs. This is building on previous investments there since 2020, including the refurbishment and reconfiguration of areas including the Emergency Department treatment bays, air handling units for the theatre and radiology departments, and construction of a thirteenth operating theatre and associated support rooms. These capital investments are in addition to capital projects on the Beaumont campus which have been progressed under capital programmes such as infrastructural risk, climate action, and the equipment replacement programmes.

There is continuous and ongoing investment across our hospital campuses, including Beaumont. There are a number of projects under construction at Beaumont, including a 20-bed, purpose-built Cystic Fibrosis in-patient facility, a 6-bed interventional radiology day ward, rolling infection control works, fire alarm and emergency lighting upgrades, and dedicated space within the Emergency Department for consulting and assessment of frail and elderly patients. The installation of a third CT scanner is also underway to give ED more timely access to CT scans and improve patient flow through the ED department as well as reduce CT Outpatient waiting lists.

In addition, there are a number of capital investments currently at tender stage including, provision of facilities and equipment for phase 2 of the radiation oncology programme. Four enabling works packages are required to progress this, with three completed and a contractor now appointed for construction of the final package and due to commence on site before the end of November 2025.

There are also further significant proposals for capital investment in Beaumont Hospital, and all are progressing through the requisite design and planning stages.

In October 2024, planning permission for a 95-bed ward block was granted. The proposal is now at detailed design stage.

Proposals for a 64-bed Critical Care Unit (CCU) are at preliminary design stage. Delivery of that CCU is dependent on the relocation of the existing Endoscopy Department. In March 2025, final grant of planning was received for this new Endoscopy Department and it is now progressing through to detailed design stage.

In May 2025, the proposed new Emergency Department received a final grant of planning. That project is now also progressing to the detailed design stage.

All of these proposals and projects are being managed through the HSE capital development process in line with the Infrastructure Guidelines.

As a live hospital campus there is the added complexity in terms of planning, sequencing, and enabling each of these projects to ensure that development and construction does not inhibit clinical care. All our Model 4 acute hospitals require a significant amount of enabling works to prepare for larger projects such as these. These key enabling pieces are ongoing at Beaumont.

I have also referred this PQ to the HSE for it to provide more detail to you around the Emergency Department redevelopment.

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