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The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, has welcomed the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) appointment of a Design Team led by Architects HLM & Kevin Jackson Architects for the development of a Surgical Hub at Letterkenny University Hospital.

With two new theatres and two minor operating rooms, the new Surgical Hub will deliver thousands of day-cases, minor operations and outpatient consultations every year.

Responding to the announcement, Minister Carroll MacNeill TD said:

“The appointment of a Design Team led by Architects HLM & Kevin Jackson Architects marks an important milestone in progressing the new Surgical Hub at Letterkenny University Hospital. This investment demonstrates our commitment to the people of Letterkenny and the wider region by ensuring they can access high-quality care closer to home, when they need it.

“The new Surgical Hub will significantly increase our capacity to deliver elective care. By providing dedicated facilities for day case surgery, patients’ procedures will be protected from disruption caused by pressures in the Emergency Department and elsewhere in the acute hospital system. This will help reduce waiting times while ensuring patients receive timely treatment in modern, purpose-built facilities.”

The HSE Surgical Hub in Letterkenny is part of the wider Elective Care Programme which is delivering Surgical Hubs and Elective Treatment Centres across the country. Three Hubs are already operational (in Tallaght, Mount Carmel and Swords). A further four are due to start treating patients this year – in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. Two further Hubs in Sligo and Letterkenny are in the design phase. The appointment process for a Design Team for Sligo is underway and expected to conclude shortly.

By separating routine procedures and treatments from emergency cases we can ensure that the Hubs operate efficiently, uninterrupted by seasonal surges, localised outbreaks and emergency demands. This benefits the patients attending the Hubs but also means that acute hospitals will have capacity freed up to deal with more complex and urgent cases.

Surgical Hubs cater for high-volume, low complexity cases which are scheduled in advance. This includes day cases, minor operations, outpatient treatment and outpatient diagnostics services. They will not be providing surgical care for emergency or complex cases. There are no beds and no overnight stays. Some examples of elective procedures include biopsies, steroid injections, carpal tunnel treatment, hernia repair, tonsillectomies and cataract treatments.