It will take the rest of the year before a masterplan and a business case is completed for the University Hospital Galway campus which in turn will determine how it operates for the next two decades.

The masterplan, which is in a final draft, contains an overall vision for the Newcastle site and will set out the framework for the individual projects such as the new emergency department, the women and children’s ward a cancer centre and a laboratory replacement.

Each of these projects will cost over €200m so have to go through a more rigorous planning and approval process, revealed Michael Conneely, Assistant National Director of Capital and Estates in HSE West and North West.

“A Development Control Plan (DCP) for the UHG Campus is in final draft and represents a masterplan for development of the campus to 2045. A draft of the DCP, addressing all feedback received to date, is due to be completed in the first quarter of 2025.,” he stated to the Regional Health Forum West meeting.

“Considerable enabling, decanting and site clearance works are required to facilitate delivery of the major projects, and these have been identified as a distinct package of work. All infrastructure projects are subject to the requirements of the Public Spending Code and the associated Infrastructural Guidelines.

“Given the scale of investment required, a number of proposed projects at UHG will constitute ‘Major Projects’ with an estimated capital cost in excess of €200 million and as such will require additional approvals including review by the Major Projects Advisory Group and government approval.”

A Strategic Assessment Review for the masterplan is to be submitted to the HSE and the Department of Health for review by June. A business consultant has now been appointed to help prepare this review and another consultant will progress the individual projects through the planning process.

City Councillor Mike Crowe (FF) said this was the most important health project in the country and was vital for the population of the entire seaboard. He asked for a specific timeline for the masterplan.

Integrated Health Area Manager for Galway and Roscommon Ann Cosgrove said this was the first time a complete site plan would be drawn up that had the agreement of all agencies and departments.

“We have a draft, we have had some level of socialising with the Department. Key steps in the last number of weeks are the relocation of a number of outpatient services on February 10 to Merlin Park,” she stated.

The Strategic Assessment Review and preliminary business case have started but would take the rest of this year. Some ‘enabling works’ had also been carried out on site.

So while it did not seem like a lot of work had been done because no building work had begun, a lot of the vital background work was in train, Ms Cosgrove explained.

Merlin Park Hospital is where outpatient services for a significant number of specialities such as cancer and cardiology, a surgical hub and a new elective hospital will be located to free up space at UHG.

“Phase 2 will be relocating remainder of the outpatient services from UHG and there will be a significant improvement for patients with a decrease in footfall and parking pressure.”

Merlin Park will also have a masterplan drawn up to give it a blueprint for the next 20 years.

Pictured: UHG…blueprint to map next 20 years.