John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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1499. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the proposed new elective hospital in Cork; i the current stage of planning, design and delivery; the expected timeline for construction and opening; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40303/26]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The government is fully committed to increasing elective-only day-case capacity through the Elective Ambulatory Care Programme. This is being delivered in two phases: a national network of Surgical Hubs in the first instance to meet medium-term demand and capacity, and then, a national network of Elective Treatment Centres, known as Elective Hospitals, in Cork, Galway and Dublin.

These new ‘elective-only’ facilities are for day-case patients, they are not for acute or emergency care. Significant international evidence supports the separation of scheduled (elective) and non-scheduled (emergency) care, leading to improved care for all patients. These elective facilities will provide routine treatments, procedures and consultations which have been scheduled in advance for non-emergency issues and which do not require an overnight stay. There are no in-patient beds; instead, patients arrive and leave on the same day.

The HSE is developing these new facilities as quickly as possible, whilst ensuring value for money from each project, economies of scale and standardisation, and that wider infrastructure needs are considered where required.

Two surgical hubs are already operational (Tallaght and Mt Carmel) and are having a significant impact on reducing waiting times. A further five hubs are due to become operational this year (Swords, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford) with two further hubs in Sligo and Letterkenny in design. When fully operational each hub is expected to deliver additional annual activity of between circa 4,000- and 8,000-day case procedures, 5,700 minor ops procedures and up to 18,500 OPD appointments.In relation to Cork, construction of the new surgical hub is complete and commissioning of the hub is now underway. The hub is expected to become operational in Q3 this year, which will add significant elective care capacity, including 4 day case theatres, 2 minor ops rooms and 4 OPD treatment rooms.

Alongside the delivery of the Surgical Hubs, planning is underway for new larger national Elective Treatment Centres (also referred to as Elective Hospitals) in Cork, Galway and Dublin to meet our longer-term elective care capacity requirements.

Detailed design for the Elective Treatment Centre in Cork (at St Stephen’s Hospital, Glanmire) is underway. Relevant surveys and site investigations have been conducted. The HSE is progressing enabling packages and engaging with statutory planning authorities to prepare the necessary planning permission applications and to progress the Cork Elective Treatment Centre to shovel-readiness. The HSE expects to submit planning applications for Cork this year. Pending the outcome of planning processes it would be premature to speculate on the timing of subsequent phases for the elective hospitals programme.