Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD and Minister of State for Older People Kieran O’Donnell TD have welcomed a further milestone in the ongoing expansion of bed capacity at University Hospital Limerick (UHL), with the awarding of a public works contract for the delivery of a new 96-bed inpatient ward block.

Following a public procurement process, the Health Service Executive (HSE) awarded the contract on 16 June 2026 to John Sisk & Son for the delivery of the new ‘Block B’ ward block. This will be the second 96‑bed ward block to progress on the UHL campus in recent times, following the successful completion and occupancy of the first 96‑bed ward building in 2025, along with two 16-bed rapid builds in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

The project will provide additional bed capacity in line with the Acute Hospital Inpatient Bed Capacity Expansion Plan announced by Government in May 2024, Programme for Government commitments to increase capacity and open more beds across the Mid West, and consideration of all of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) recommendations regarding the provision of urgent and emergency care in the region.

Welcoming the development, Minister Carroll MacNeill said:

“I know how important this project is for patients, staff and families in Limerick and across the Mid West. The award of this contract is another important step forward to increase much-needed inpatient bed capacity for the region. The 128 beds we have opened since the end of 2024 have already made a very positive contribution to UHL and the people of the Mid West, and the ‘Block B’ ward block will continue those positive improvements.”

Welcoming the contract signing, Minister O’Donnell said:

“The awarding of the contract for the construction of the second 96-bed inpatient ward block marks a further significant milestone in the provision of additional bed capacity at University Hospital Limerick and will deliver enhanced healthcare services for patients, their families and staff in Limerick and the Mid West region.”

In addition to the two new 16-bed units now in place and a new 96-bed block opened in October 2025, a further 16-bed unit is due for completion this year, and a design team has been appointed for a 66-bed block. Across Ennis, Nenagh and both St John's Hospitals, an additional 114 beds are planned by 2031. In total, 420 beds are expected to be delivered in the region.

In March 2026, the HSE successfully secured a site in Raheen, Limerick following a mandate provided by the Minister in December 2025. The newly acquired, 44-acre site, is just 2km from UHL and provides a significant opportunity to provide meaningful additional capacity and health services to the people of Limerick, Clare and Tipperary. The Raheen site will extend the capacity of the hospital across the two sites in line with the HIQA recommendations.

Minister Carroll MacNeill said:

“My priority is to ensure that HIQA’s recommendations are delivered in a timely and coordinated way, and that people in the Mid West can rely on safe, high-quality care when they need it.”

The 96-bed Block B works contract includes a four‑month Pre‑Construction Services period, which will facilitate detailed planning, design coordination, and preparation ahead of the main construction phase. Main construction works are scheduled to commence on site in October 2026, with project completion targeted for Q4 2029.

The 96-Bed Block B will be fully integrated with existing hospital infrastructure and the new wards will be directly adjacent to the recently opened Bed Block A wards.

Works are currently finishing on a shell extension that will form the podium for the new ward block, ensuring a strong foundation for the next stage of construction. These works are scheduled to complete in Q3 2026.

Ward Block B, extending to approximately 10,500 square metres, will consist of a rooftop extension directly overhead a shell extension currently nearing completion. It will comprise an enclosed plant floor at Level 02 and a four-storey ward block above at Levels 03, 04, 05, and 06, consisting of 96 acute ensuite single inpatient bedrooms along with various support accommodation arranged over four floors of 24‑bed wards, in addition to a roof plant room at Level 07 and related external works.

278 new beds have opened in acute hospitals across the Mid West since Jan 2020, 236 of which are at UHL.

Two 16-bed rapid build units were delivered at UHL in December 2024 and June 2025 and the 96-bed Bed Block A was officially opened by the Minister for Health in October 2025.

An additional 16-bed unit is due for completion by the end of this year, and a design team has been appointed for a 66-bed block.

These 96 beds to be constructed at UHL form part of national plans to increase acute inpatient bed capacity and to implement a blended approach to progress the HIQA Options A, B, and C, as was approved by Government.

This includes the purchase by the HSE in March 2026 of the 44-acre site at Raheen in Limerick and the work underway to establish the Mid West Region Strategic Board. This Board will have responsibility to develop a Strategic Plan for the Mid West, which will set out the incremental reconfiguration of primary and secondary services to deliver integrated healthcare services for the people of Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary.