Two major facilities at west of Ireland hospital officially opened

Tánaiste Micheál Martin has today officially opened the new Outpatients Building at Merlin Park University Hospital in Galway.

At a cost of €15.33 million, this project will see a phased transfer of outpatient services from University Hospital Galway to the Merlin Park campus.

This is a significant development for GUH; relocating outpatient services from the UHG site is an important part of the long-term infrastructure masterplan for the hospital and will enable progress in a number of essential projects (Ward Block, ED, Women and Children’s Block, Cancer Centre and Replacement Laboratory).

The new master plan will see elective, day surgery and ambulatory care move to the MPUH campus while complex acute elective and unscheduled inpatients and day cases, oncology and maternity and paediatric inpatient care remains in UHG.

It will also provide the required bed capacity to address the demand for increased inpatient beds and additional day case requirements.

The unit, which is unveiled today, is Phase 1 of the OPD plan. Over the coming weeks and months outpatient appointments in specialities like General Medical, Surgery, Neurology and other specialities will take place in Merlin Park. Patients should check the details on their appointment letter to ensure they attend the correct location for appointments.

Phase 2 of the project is currently at design stage and will go to tender and then construction and when fully completed, will facilitate the relocation of the majority of outpatient appointments from UHG to Merlin Park.

Speaking at the opening Tánaiste Micheál Martin said: “I’m delighted to be in Galway today to open the state-of-the art new Outpatients Building at Merlin Park University Hospital - an important milestone in healthcare in Galway and across the west which will play a significant role in enhancing services for patients.

"The opening of this new facility is also a key step in GUH’s masterplan and will allow for vital progress to be made on many other projects.”

Welcoming the new development, Hospital Manager Chris Kane, said: “This new facility is a welcome addition that will allow us to expand and improve our outpatient services to patients while providing those services in a contemporary, larger building which creates a much better environment for our patients and to utilises virtual technology and paper lite processes.”

Ann Cosgrove, Integrated Healthcare Area Manager, HSE Galway Roscommon, added, “The new outpatients building is a significant milestone in our vision for the model 4 hospital in our region.

"By relocating OPD we can separate low complexity, high volume episodes of care and free up capacity in UHG for complex, acute elective and unscheduled care. These steps are essential to ensure long-term capacity for the growing healthcare needs in this region.”

The new two-story facility, designed to the highest standards in energy efficiency, includes 38 consultation rooms, five treatment rooms, as well as virtual clinic rooms. All consultation rooms are designed to be adaptable to any medical or surgical outpatient clinic, with some rooms outfitted with specialised equipment.

With a floor space of 2,300m2, this new modern structure, which is light and airy, was carefully designed with patients' requirements in mind. Other facilities include, two waiting areas, two reception areas, lifts, staff support areas and ancillary accommodation. The site additionally offers 88 dedicated parking spaces and 12 bicycle parking spaces.

The project was tendered through the Public Procurement process and a building contractor was appointed in February 2023. The project which achieved substantial completion in July 2024, is currently being fitted out with specialist equipment and is expected to be operational in Q1 2025.

To see more of the new Outpatients Building click video link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJjPT7CB2HM

The Tánaiste also officially opened the new state-of-the-art outpatient unit for adults with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) at Merlin Park University Hospital (MPUH).

The new unit cost €3.64 million to construct with €700,000 funded by Cystic Fibrosis Ireland and the balance funded by the HSE.

The new development, which will replace the existing modular structure, features a single storey building which is located opposite Unit 8 on the campus.

The new unit is expected to be operational in Q1 2025 and includes, four single consultation rooms, gymnasium, pulmonary function testing rooms, and multidisciplinary areas.

The design and layout of the new unit will deliver a patient centred approach providing dedicated areas for the multidisciplinary care team to deliver safe, patient focused care with integral consultative, diagnostic and therapeutic resources.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin said: “Today marks an important milestone for the delivery of care to those with Cystic Fibrosis across the Galway region. Having a modern, purpose built unit here in Galway will greatly benefit both patients and staff.

"This unit is also a fine example of collaboration between the HSE, GUH and Cystic Fibrosis Ireland to deliver a state of the art facility to greatly enhance CF services.”

Welcoming the new development, Chris Kane, General Manager said: “This new purpose built Adult Cystic Fibrosis Unit is a fantastic development for CF services in the area.

"It will improve our patient’s hospital experience and provide an improved working environment for our staff enabling them to continue to deliver high quality care in state of the art clinical facilities, which over time will enable us to provide additional capacity to treat additional patients.

“This is a coordinated and collaborative project between the HSE, GUH and CF Galway/Ireland and I would like to acknowledge and thank everyone involved in this development from the beginning to the delivery of the new facility today. It will make an immense difference to our patients.” she added.

Niall Brennan, a person with Cystic Fibrosis and a lung transplant recipient, attended the opening and said: “I am very happy to be standing here today with representatives from the Cystic Fibrosis community in Galway. As people age with CF, there is a need for increased outpatient care such as this unit so this really is a fantastic day for all CF adults in Galway and the West of Ireland.

“This unit in Merlin Park University Hospital will make CF care much more accessible and will make a huge difference to the CF population in the west.”

Dr Michael O'Mahony, Adult Cystic Fibrosis Physician said: “The opening of the new Adult Cystic Fibrosis Unit represents a major advance in the provision of care for Adult Cystic Fibrosis patients in the West of Ireland. The majority of CF patient care is now provided in an out-patient setting, reflecting the advances in care for CF patients.

"The completion of the Unit represents the collaboration of the HSE, CF Ireland and the Galway CF Association.”

Ann Cosgrove, Integrated Healthcare Area Manager, HSE Galway Roscommon added: “This is a significant development for CF services in our region which will greatly enhance the care experience and improve facilities for our patients. I would like to thank the Galway Branch of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland and CF Ireland for their significant ongoing support, funding and collaboration in development of this unit.”

Sarah Tecklenborg, Interim CEO Cystic Fibrosis Ireland, said: “CFI are proud to have been able to support the building of the outpatient unit here at Merlin Park University Hospital. As people with CF in Ireland are living longer thanks to excellent multidisciplinary care and new modulator therapies, their medical needs are changing.

"CF care remains complex and challenging. This new unit is a wonderful step supporting world class care for people living with Cystic Fibrosis in the Galway region.

“A result of many years of collaborative effort and partnership the unit will provide the highest standards of care and facilities for people living with CF now and into the future. CFI and the CF community are so grateful to everyone involved in making this build happen.”

Mary Lane Heneghan of The Galway Branch of Cystic Fibrosis Ireland welcomed the opening of the unit, stating: “We are delighted to be here at the opening of this out-patient unit in Merlin Park University Hospital for adults with CF. The project has been many years of true partnership between GUH, CFI and the HSE.

“I would like to acknowledge the fundraising efforts of the people of Galway who raised €700k towards the cost of this project over many years. This is a time of hope for people with CF in the West of Ireland and beyond,” she added.