The HSE is seeking planning permission to build a new dedicated Surgical Hub building at Merlin Park Hospital.
The plans submitted to the city council are for a three storey building, with a gross floor area of 4,265m², located to the north of the main hospital building.
The Planning Report submitted with this application states that the goal of this development is to divert selected surgical cases to Merlin Park Hospital, in order to ease pressure on UHG.
The Surgical Hub would contain four main operating theatres, along with two minor procedure rooms.
Each would have a morning and afternoon session, and the plans state that they are expected to see approximately 50 – 60 patients per session.
The Surgical Hub would be a day surgery treatment facility, with patients discharged the same day as their procedure.
The plans also include a car park located north of the proposed surgery building, which would contain 108 parking spaces. A new bus stop would also be located adjacent to the proposed building.
The plans also include the installation of Solar PV Panels on the rooftop of the building.
Back in 2009, the HSE received planning permission for a Day Services Unit at this exact site at Merlin Park.
The Planning Report for this application states that current proposal is “remarkably similar” to that which was approved in 2009 in terms of its “location, orientation, and size” as well as its purpose.
The decision to develop a new surgical hub for schedule care and elective procedures at MPUH was the result of an Options Appraisal carried out by KPMG on behalf of the Saolta Group in 2019.
This was meant to examine options to address capacity issues at UHG, as well as the future delivery of a Model 4 Hospital.
A decision on this planning application is due from Galway City Council by August 17 of this year.
