2026-03-18

A 42-bed ward is currently under construction on the Sligo University Hospital campus. This development is very welcome. However, beneath this building there will be a vacant space specifically earmarked for a future daycare oncology unit. The planned oncology day unit represents a major opportunity to expand capacity, improve patient experience and deliver safer and more timely care for cancer patients in the region. I therefore call on the Department to ensure that, by the time the 42-bed ward is completed, funding will be in place to immediately proceed with the fit-out of the oncology unit. Leaving this space idle would be a failure of planning and a missed opportunity. The infrastructure will be there and the clinical lead is already there. What is now required is the political will and financial commitment to ensure that oncology unit becomes operational without delay. The people of the north-west region urgently need this service. My second point also concerns Sligo University Hospital. Two surgical wards for the campus have already passed all required approval stages. The HSE is now simply awaiting departmental sign-off to move to the design phase. The delay is happening against the backdrop of an unacceptable pattern of theatre shutdowns and cancelled elective surgeries caused by repeated critical infrastructure failures. Leaks from the theatre roof and failures in radiator pipework have forced multiple closures of the orthopaedic theatre in recent months. These failures have repeatedly halted hip and knee replacement surgeries, leaving patients waiting in pain for procedures that should be routine. In February alone, five further elective operations were cancelled. This disruption came only weeks after surgeries had resumed following a suspension since December caused by bed pressure and earlier leaks. Sligo now has some of the longest orthopaedic waiting times in the State and patients in the region are among the worst affected nationally. With ongoing cancellations and clear evidence that this existing infrastructure is no longer fit for purpose, departmental approval for the two surgical wards cannot be allowed to drift on. It is urgently required to restore safe and reliable surgical capacity for the people of the north west. Decisive action and immediate progression of this development is now essential. Can we provide a clear guarantee that funding will be in place to fit out the new oncology day care unit? Can the Department confirm that the approval to allow the two new surgical wards to progress to the design and planning stage will be issued without further delay?

I thank Deputy Scanlon for his question about Sligo University Hospital. As the Deputy will be aware, a 42-bed block is being built in Sligo. I think it is Deputy Scanlon’s view that the oncology unit should be constructed at the same time. I will speak to the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, in respect of this matter and come back to the Deputy on it. Obviously, a lot of work is being done in the orthopaedic theatre in Sligo University Hospital at present. It is proposed to replace the orthopaedic theatre. The options appraisal for this is complete and work is under way to make a case for submission for formal capital approval in the coming weeks. This option provides for two replacement orthopaedic theatres, as the Deputy indicated, and theatre storage facilities, along with some additional beds. There has been significant progress, expenditure and investment in that since 2020, as the Deputy knows. We have seen the budget grow from €160 million in 2022 to €246 million this year for Sligo, which is an increase of 54%. Additionally, staffing at the hospital has grown considerably. It has increased by 38%, from 1,677 in 2020 to 2,321 at the start of 2026. A total of 104 new beds have also been opened. Deputy Scanlon also raised the issue of the Sligo surgical hub. Following the announcement of the development of the Sligo surgical hub by the Minister in July last year, work has progressed to finalise the design brief. This includes the schedule of accommodation for the Sligo project. A tendering process is at the final stages to establish a major design team framework for the west and north-west region. This will facilitate the appointment of a design team for the Letterkenny and Sligo developments, with the aim of progressing both sites in parallel and ensuring a co-ordinated and efficient roll-out of this capacity in response to service need. It is planned to have the design team appointed in the first quarter of this year and then to commence the design phase early in the second quarter, from April onwards. The overall programme, including the timelines and capital costs associated with the developments at Sligo and Letterkenny, will become clearer as the following key milestones are progressed: the detailed schedule of accommodation in both facilities will be finalised; design teams will be appointed; planning applications will be lodged and planning permission secured; enabling works will be progressed; and construction contracts will be awarded for both facilities. Every effort will be made to fast-track these surgical hubs to a standardised design, including exploring opportunities to progress via existing contracts. As I said to the Deputy, I will specifically raise this matter with my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill.

I thank the Minister for his response. It is extremely important to ensure that the oncology unit is fully funded and delivered and to immediately progress the surgical ward development. The people of Sligo and the wider north-west area deserve a timely, safe and reliable hospital service. These commitments are essential to delivering that service.

I commend Deputy Scanlon on raising the question. As he knows, the programme for Government has committed the Government to exploring the provision of a surgical hub for the north west, in addition to establishing six new surgical hubs across the country. Delivery of the surgical hub in Sligo will be in line with the delivery of the other surgical hubs which are all new builds and which are taking in the order of four years for planning, design and construction. I can understand the Deputy’s desire to ensure this is expedited and sped up so the people of Sligo can have an even better medical hospital than they have at present. It has to be acknowledged that there have been very significant improvements to Sligo University Hospital in the past number of years.