HSE secures site in Raheen for expansion of urgent and emergency care in Mid-West

The HSE has acquired a 44-acre site in Raheen, Limerick, as part of plans to expand urgent and emergency healthcare services in the Mid-West.

The move follows the publication on 30 September 2025 of an independent review by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA), which provided expert advice to the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, to inform decisions around the design and delivery of healthcare in the region.

In December 2025, the Minister received Government approval to pursue a blended approach to the progression of three options identified in the HIQA review:

• Option A: Expand capacity at University Hospital Limerick (UHL), Dooradoyle site.
• Option B: Extend the UHL campus to include the existing Dooradoyle site and a new adjacent site.
• Option C: Develop a Model 3 hospital in the HSE Mid-West, providing a second Emergency Department for the region.

Minister Carroll MacNeill said the Raheen site marks a major step forward for healthcare in the region:

“Following the Government decision, I immediately mandated the HSE to secure a suitable adjacent site for the expansion of the Dooradoyle campus in line with Option B. Today, I am pleased to announce that the HSE has successfully secured a site in Raheen, Limerick.

“This 44-acre site is located between Ballycummin Avenue and the Patrickswell Road, just 2km from UHL, Dooradoyle, and provides a significant opportunity to provide meaningful additional capacity and health services to the people of Limerick, Clare and Tipperary.

“We will now establish a project board, and they will judiciously consider what services we must have on that UHL site, which we can relocate nearby to this new site and which services we can relocate to Ennis, St John’s or Nenagh. I will be returning to Government later this year with a strategic plan for the services of the region.

“I am grateful to the HSE regional and national teams as well as officials from my own Department for their work. I look forward to continuing to engage with the many patient advocates, public representatives and healthcare teams to improve services across the Mid-West region.”

Minister of State for Older People, Kieran O’Donnell, also welcomed the development:

“The securing of this site near UHL by the HSE is a very positive development. It will provide much needed additional capacity and health services in Limerick and the Mid-West as recommended in the HIQA report.”

The site acquisition is expected to pave the way for expanded healthcare services, while a project board will oversee strategic planning for service allocation across the Mid-West region.