UCC governing body chair appointed to chair Mid-West health planning board

Seán O’Driscoll and his board will work on the expansion of bed capacity at UHL, and delivery of the €14m hospital site in Raheen

Last year, health watchdog Hiqa warned the Government of serious risks to patient safety at University Hospital Limerick linked to severe overcrowding. Picture: Dan Linehan

The health minister has appointed a chair to the long-awaited Mid-West health planning board, which will oversee a service and infrastructure plan for the region.

Seán O’Driscoll, the current chair of University College Cork’s governing authority, has been appointed as the chair of the board. Mr O’Driscoll is also a member of the Government’s Accelerating Infrastructure Taskforce.

There had been concern in the region about the timeframe of appointing the board, as plans for it were announced in March.

The board will begin its work in September and finalise the delivery of the Service and Infrastructure Plan for the Mid-West within nine months.

Last year, health watchdog Hiqa warned the Government of serious risks to patient safety at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) linked to severe overcrowding, following the death of Clare teenager Aoife Johnston.

The 16-year-old died on December 19, 2022, after waiting for 12 hours in the hospital's emergency department for treatment for sepsis.

Hiqa had proposed to expand existing services, extend UHL care to a nearby site with shared management, and to build a new hospital at Model 3 level with an additional emergency department.

The board will build on work already under way across the region, including the expansion of bed capacity at UHL, the acquisition of the €14m hospital site in Raheen, and the ongoing implementation of the Government’s blended approach to the Hiqa recommendations.

The board is made up of senior regional HSE leaders and multidisciplinary expertise across service delivery, clinical care, infrastructure, finance, and enterprise, alongside patient and service-user representation.

Health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said: “People in Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary need a long-term solution for improved healthcare — quality care close to home — that meets the needs of the people of the region, irrespective of their geography. 

"We had a positive development with the purchase of the site at Raheen in March of this year and today’s announcement is the next step in our work to bring care closer to home for the people and patients of the region."

People in the Mid-West have waited too long for the improvements that are needed, and they rightly expect to see real progress, Ms Carroll MacNeill said.