Minister for Health opens surgical hub for the North East

The new HSE Dublin and North East Surgical Hub has been opened by Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeil.

The HSE said the new hub is a nationally significant addition to Ireland’s public health system that will expand capacity for day case surgery, reduce waiting times and ease pressure on acute hospitals across the region, with particular benefits for patients and services in Louth and Meath.

Minister Carroll MacNeill said "I am delighted to open this HSE Surgical Hub in Swords which will make a real difference to people’s lives. These new facilities will enable delivery of faster, more efficient elective care for patients.

“We know that demand for health services continues to grow, which is why we are investing now in delivering a network of Surgical Hubs across the country which will help to drive down waiting times for elective care.”"

In a statement, the HSE said: “Hub is a modern, purpose-designed facility specifically for day case surgery and minor procedures, drawing on the proven surgical hub model now being rolled out nationally as part of the elective care programme. It forms part of a HSE network of public surgical hubs in key locations, increasing capacity for planned care. Designed using a standardised approach, it includes dedicated operating theatres, procedure rooms, recovery areas and support spaces, with patient pathways based on best practice so that, where clinically appropriate, people can have their procedure, recover and return home on the same day.”

Inside the hub there are four dedicated operating theatres, 2 minor procedure rooms and 11 bay post-anaesthetic care unit, 21 bay day ward, alongside 10 outpatient assessment rooms that support an efficient flow of patients through the service. The facility is equipped to deliver a wide range of day case specialties, including general surgery, dermatology, gynaecology, ophthalmology, ear nose and throat (ENT), orthopaedics and urology, with other specialties to be agreed locally. The design supports modern multidisciplinary team working, with staff facilities, clinical support areas and digital infrastructure that enable safe, high-volume day surgery focused on procedures that do not require an overnight stay.

By concentrating day surgery in a dedicated public facility, each surgical hub is expected to deliver day case procedures and thousands of additional minor operations and outpatient appointments every year. This additional capacity will directly support national efforts to reduce the time people wait for treatment and to meet Sláintecare waiting time targets for inpatient, day case and outpatient care. For patients in Louth and Meath, this means faster access to planned care, fewer last-minute cancellations and a clearer pathway from referral to treatment.

HSE CEO Anne O Connor said, “The opening of the Dublin and North East Surgical Hub is a hugely significant step in how we deliver planned care for our patients. Dedicated, high-quality facilities like this, will allow us to increase surgical capacity, reduce waiting times and ensure that patients can access treatment in a timely and more predictable way. Critical to this is the separation of elective care from emergency pressures allowing us to make better use of our hospital system overall. It improves patient flow and supports our staff to deliver safe, efficient care. This hub here in Swords is a key part of our national elective care programme and reflects our ongoing commitment to reform and strengthen public health services in line with Sláintecare.”

A key objective of the hub is to separate scheduled day surgery from emergency and unscheduled care, so that planned procedures can go ahead even when emergency departments and acute hospitals are under pressure. By moving suitable day case procedures to the hub, hospitals across the Dublin and North East region — including those serving communities in Louth and Meath — will be able to use their theatre and bed capacity more effectively for urgent and more complex inpatient cases, improving patient flow and access to beds for those who need to be admitted. This more predictable environment also supports staff, improving utilisation and reducing avoidable cancellations.

The opening of the Dublin and North East Surgical Hub is a clear example of national health policy being translated into real services for public patients, delivering on the Government’s commitment to increase elective-only day-case capacity and in line with the HSE’s Corporate Plan 2025–2027. Alongside other hubs now in development across the country, it is a key component of the national elective care programme and a major milestone for patients in the Dublin and North East health region.

Speaking at today’s opening of the Surgical Hub, Sara Long, Regional Executive Officer for HSE Dublin and North East, said:

“Today is an important day for public patients and staff across our region, and especially for the people of Louth and Meath, as this new Surgical Hub gives us dedicated, modern capacity to deliver thousands of additional day case procedures every year and to improve access to planned care for communities across both counties. By treating suitable patients in a state-of-the-art facility designed and operated in line with national clinical guidance for elective care, we can provide safe, high-quality care while protecting planned surgery from the pressures of emergency demand. This will help us reduce waiting times, ease pressure on our acute hospital services and ensure more people across Louth, Meath and the wider Dublin and North East region receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.”