Kerry hospital 'competing with other regions' for proposed oncology unit, councillors told

HSE report detailed how proposals for a standalone oncology unit at University Hospital Kerry were still at an early stage and had yet to advance to the design phase

The Tralee-based hospital, which serves Kerry and the South-West, was 'nowhere nearer' achieving its standalone oncology unit than it was when first mooted four years ago, meeting told. Picture: Dan Linehan

University Hospital Kerry will be competing with other regions for a much-needed standalone oncology unit, which was promised four years ago but still has not been delivered.

The Tralee-based hospital, which serves Kerry and the South-West, was “nowhere nearer” achieving its standalone unit than it was when first mooted four years ago, a meeting of the HSE Regional Forum for the South West was told. New submissions would now be four times the original proposed cost, Tralee councillor Deirdre Ferris told the meeting.

“It is highly unlikely we will see this in the next few years. We are competing with other regions,” the Sinn Féin councillor said. 

She was responding to a HSE report which detailed how proposals for the priority project were still at an early stage and had yet to advance to the design phase.

The prioritisation of the project will remain a matter for the HSE Regional Executive Office and the regional director for planning, “in the context of available capital resources and competing service priorities”, Daniel Clifford, director of estates with HSE South-West, said. The proposed unit is to include a day ward and other facilities

In the meantime, people from Kerry were left travelling up and down from Cork on a weekly and sometimes bi-weekly basis for treatment, Ms Ferris said.

While she accepted covid had intervened to delay the project, “four years later we are still nowhere near the commitment for a standalone oncology unit”, she said.

Fianna Fáil councillor Mikey Sheehy said the volume of service users had hugely increased.

“The standalone oncology unit is a priority project for Kerry and the South-West and it needs to be progressed as a priority,” Mr Sheehy said.

In response, Mr Clifford said a detailed draft stage one report for the project was completed in August 2024. Following review, a number of amendments were requested in November 2024, and an addendum to the stage one report was completed in February 2025.

The drafting of a new capital submission and business case for the permanent proposal had been prioritised since January 2025.

UHK, in collaboration with the HSE, had been progressing the preparation of the capital submission for the proposed oncology day treatment ward, outpatients unit and compounding unit, he said, and a "formal capital submission was uploaded in May".

An updated Strategic Healthcare Investment Framework (SHIF) document for the project was submitted in July 2025 and the next steps for this project would make further checks so it could advance to the stage two preliminary design, costings and service requirements stage.

This article was funded by the Local Democracy Scheme