Cork's Bon Secours Hospital set for €64m extension

One of the country’s largest private hospitals is set to embark on a massive €64m expansion.

The Bon Secours Hospital in Cork confirmed yesterday that it expects work on its six-storey extension to the rear of the hospital campus to start next year.

The two-year building project is expected to create work for up to 200 construction workers, with a further 75 clinical jobs to be created once the facility becomes fully operational.

The extension project, which secured planning earlier this year, was announced as Taoiseach Enda Kenny officially opened the hospital’s medical assessment unit (MAU) yesterday.

The unit, which is an extension of emergency patient services in the region, and is the first phase in the Bon Secours’ development plans to expand emergency care for patients, has treated some 4,000 patients since its doors opened 12 months ago.

It provides GPs in the region with rapid access for their acutely ill patients to treatment by an emergency medicine consultant, and with access to a range of diagnostic and quick turnaround lab services. And if admission is required, a bed is available.

The hospital’s general manager, Harry Canning, said the unit has taken a huge volume of patients away from the city’s already stretched emergency departments in public hospitals.

And he said they expect the numbers attending the MAU to grow by up to 20% year-on-year over the coming years.

“This kind of unit represents an opportunity for further co-operation between the public and private sector to meet some of the acute needs of the public system,” he said.

“There are lots of ways that we can assist with some of the challenges facing the public system.

“We are also seeing growth in demand for cancer services, orthopaedics, and in cardiology.” He said the new extension will further increase the hospital’s range of services, and capacity to cater for patients.

The development will include a new radiotherapy unit to support its cancer services, 80 private rooms, more operating rooms and intensive care units, and will lead to an expansion in paediatrics, minor injuries and surgical services The project is being funded entirely by the Bon Secours Hospitals group, which also runs acute hospitals in Dublin, Galway and Tralee.