2026-01-22

13. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Health to provide a breakdown of all planned and approved capital works for Mallow General Hospital; the nature and scope of each project; the current stage each project is at, including planning, design, tender or construction; the expected timelines for delivery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4138/26]

I thank the Minister for taking this question. I am asking her to provide a breakdown of all planned and approved capital works for Mallow General Hospital, the nature and scope of each project, the current stage each project is at including planning, design, tender or construction, the expected timelines and the further use of the hospital.

I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to provide an update to the House on the capital works ongoing at Mallow General Hospital. In 2023, a new ward block for Mallow General Hospital was constructed and opened. As part of that project, two additional floors were constructed to facilitate subsequent infrastructure investment at the hospital, as the Deputy is aware. The subsequent development of the ward block is being progressed in two phases. Phase 1 involves the fit-out of the additional space to provide a 24-bed inpatient ward. This project is under way and is anticipated to be completed in quarter 1 of 2026, which obviously we are currently in. It is planned that facility will be put into service immediately. As a condition of the planning permission for the 24-bed inpatient ward, an extension to the existing car park is required. We have made that submission for planning permission and a tender will issue in quarter 2 of 2026. Phase 2 of the ward block development involves the fit-out of the existing ground floor shell and core space to provide an outpatient or day clinic ward, or both. This ward will include ten standard clinical rooms and an additional five clinical rooms configured for the establishment and operation of an obesity and bariatric clinic. The outpatient or day clinic ward project is at the detailed design stage. Subject to statutory approvals, it is anticipated the project tender will be issued in quarter 2 of 2026 and the timeline for delivery can then be determined. Mallow hospital holds a particularly important place in the south-west region. We have invested very considerably in Mallow and we continue to invest in it for the benefit of the people of Mallow and also the people of the region. It forms a really important part of the patient flow infrastructure between Cork University Hospital, the Mercy Hospital and the way in which patients are moved through them for the benefit of patient safety. I have had concerns, which I am happy to discuss with the Deputy, about the use of the beds that are currently in Mallow. A question I have is how can we be sure the 24 new beds are going to be used when I have concerns about the use by the region of the beds that are currently there.

I thank the Minister. That building was completed in 2020 during Covid times and, in fairness to the HSE, it has retrospectively applied for planning permission. It is a wonderful extension to Mallow General Hospital. The two floors that are currently open are providing excellent care to the people the hospital serves. The staff there are excellent and I take this opportunity to wish them all well in their endeavours over the next couple of months. It is great to see the 24-bed inpatient unit will be opened in quarter 1. It is hugely important that we try to get that opened as quickly as possible because the beds are needed in the north Cork area. I concur with the Minister about the bed use at the hospital. It is critical that we use the likes of Mallow General Hospital to relieve the pressure that is currently on Cork University Hospital, CUH, and Mercy University Hospital. I will be glad to work with the Minister on that over the coming months to make sure we get the best use out of the hospital.

It is an acute step-down unit for the larger model 3 and model 4 hospitals in the Cork and Kerry region that accepts patients who still require hospital care but no longer require an acute bed is absolutely critical. I have been looking at its usage. For example, during the fourth quarter of 2025, on average there were four vacant beds every day in Mallow hospital. There were 12 days in the fourth quarter of 2025 - remember that was a peak flu season in the early part of December - when ten or more beds were vacant. I will give an example. On 13 December, which was a Saturday - there are high numbers of discharges on Fridays - 13 beds were vacant in Mallow General hospital, a critical step-down facility, and 28 people in CUH on a Saturday morning were on trolleys. Thirteen beds were left vacant in Mallow while 28 people were on trolleys. That is a mortal sin. All week long CUH was under pressure with 53, 37, 39, 38 and 39 people on trolleys. It discharged patients on Friday and there were 13 beds in Mallow left vacant while 28 of the Deputy's constituents were on trolleys in CUH. The pattern was repeated two weeks later, with trolleys in Mercy University Hospital. It is not okay. It is not good enough. The Deputy and I are investing on behalf of the taxpayer in services across the south west for the benefit of the Deputy's people in Cork and it needs to be used.

I fully concur with the Minister that we do not see the full utilisation of Mallow General Hospital. I am glad she brought those figures to the House this morning, so we can discuss them in a public forum. I have been advocating for the further and better use of Mallow General Hospital for many years, in my roles as a councillor and, for the past 12 months, as a TD. I concur with the Minister. There is a lot of work to be done on utilising Mallow General Hospital beds and we need to work together to make sure they are used. We cannot have a system where we have overcrowding, people waiting for inpatient beds in CUH and Mercy University Hospital, while there are vacant beds in Mallow. Mallow General Hospital serves a huge area covering the border of Limerick, Kerry and Waterford and the metropolitan area of Cork city. Every patient I talk to who is waiting for a bed would go to Mallow for the care. We, therefore, need to work together to make sure it is utilised in the best way possible going forward.

I totally agree. Of course they would and of course they want access. Two weeks later on Saturday, 27 December, there were 15 beds in Mallow. That is not the fault of Mallow hospital. The beds are there. What is important for the region is that people are moved out of other hospitals that are under pressure to make sure they get good care in Mallow hospital. Fifteen beds were vacant in Mallow hospital on Saturday, 27 December. Ten beds were vacant on Sunday, 28 December and the following week, Mercy University Hospital, which is just down the road, was under pressure with 11 people on trolleys on the Sunday morning, 28 December and then 13 people on trolleys. Mallow had ten vacancies on Sunday, 28 December and on the same day, 11 people were on trolleys in Mercy University Hospital. I cannot stand over that. I have an obligation to point it out bed by bed because this is the type of usage we are talking about. This is the type of patient flow out of CUH and Mercy University Hospital. CUH is an enormous hospital. There are patients who can be safely discharged to another excellent medical care facility but unless the Deputy and I acknowledge that, we will go down like eejits opening more beds and being delighted about it. Six weeks later, beds are left empty and people are in danger in emergency departments. It is not okay and that is why we have to investigate it and call it out where we see it. Since 8 January 2026, no bed has been vacant in Mallow hospital and surge capacity is now being used consistently. We have seen an improvement in the region and I acknowledge that but it has to be consistent.

Hear, hear.