HSE still aiming to open CUH surgical hub next month despite 'ongoing recruitment'

It comes as new figures show that agency staff spend at the hospital is set to increase again from the €19m spent in 2025

It comes as staffing issues at Cork University Hospital have made headlines, while new figures have shown that the hospital’s payout to private agencies for temporary staff are set to rise this year. File picture: Dan Linehan

The HSE has confirmed that it still intends to open the Cork University Hospital (CUH) surgical hub next month, but that recruitment is still ongoing.

It comes as staffing issues in the hospital have made headlines, while new figures have shown that the hospital’s payout to private agencies for temporary staff are set to rise this year.

Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation assistant director of industrial relations, Liam Conway, told the Irish Examiner last week that the hospital “doesn’t have enough staff to open the surgical hub”.

Mr Conway was responding to a letter by CUH CEO Jennifer Kearney where she outlined grave concerns about the amount of staff in the hospital leading into the busy winter period.

The CUH surgical hub was initially due to open in 2024, but this was pushed to 2025, then to Q4 2025, before being delayed again to Q2 2026. In May 2026, the opening was postponed once more, from June 2026 to September 2026, roughly two years' slippage from the original target.

Asked if the HSE could confirm that the hospital is still on track to open late next month, if they have an exact date, a spokesperson said: “The HSE South West Surgical Hub will be based at Cork University Hospital as part of the National Elective Care Programme.

“It remains the ambition of the region to open and operationalise the hub by late September 2026.” 

Further questions about if staffing had delayed the opening of the facility up until now and how many staff were needed to open the surgical hub were not answered, but the spokesperson said: “Recruitment to support the opening and operation of the Surgical Hub is ongoing.

“The staffing requirements for the hub span a range of clinical and support roles. The hub will open in line with the available staffing complement, with additional capacity being introduced as further posts are filled.” 

It comes as new figures show that agency staff spend at the hospital is set to increase again this year. Some €10,439,375 has already been spent on agency staff in 2026 to June, meaning agency spending is set to increase from the €19,180,878 in the whole of 2025.

In total, the HSE has spent €17,360,178 on agency staff in Cork up to June 2026 across the county’s six hospitals and primary care services.

A HSE spokesperson said: “The demand on service needs led to an increased agency staff spend. However, the HSE is committed to reducing this spend and a range of measures are being implemented to support a sustained reduction in agency expenditure.” 

The agency staff figures were provided to Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould, who said: “The Government is restricting direct recruitment with one hand while paying private agencies a substantial premium with the other. We need to cut waste and get better value."