The healthcare consortium, Blackrock Health backed by Larry Goodman Trust, is set to inject €500 million into its hospital portfolio. This enormous investment is projected to result in the generation of an estimated 1,000new employment opportunities in Galway and Dublin over the coming half-decade.
The healthcare group, comprising of the Blackrock, Galway, Limerick and Hermitage wellness centres, articulated its strategy to utilise the investment for the introduction of 187 additional beds, 14 surgical theatres, six cardiac catheterisation laboratories, and a cancer centre at the Blackrock clinic. The announced strategy also includes a commitment to technological advancement within the group.
Out of the intended new beds, over 100 will be based in that Blackrock centre, distributed across 47 in-patient and 63 ambulatory care set-ups. The clinic will also be equipped with five additional operating theatres, and a couple of cardiac cath labs. Nearly 30 new beds, four operating theatres, two endoscopy suites and a refreshed cardiac catheterisation lab will be installed at the Hermitage. In Galway, the in-patient facility will be expanded by 30 beds, augmented by new ambulatory care beds equipped for cardiology patients, five operating theatres, a cardiac catheterisation lab and cardiac CT scanner.
According to Dr Caroline Whelan, CEO of the group, the development initiatives at each facility are in sync with state-of-the-art strategies for effective healthcare service delivery, aligning with the patient needs at each location. The planned expansion of ambulatory care beds and ongoing technology investments also aim to lessen the requirement of inpatient services while simultaneously enhancing the quality of care.
This substantial investment is anticipated to inflate the workforce of Blackrock Health to around 4,000 members, while increasing the group’s in-patient bed capacity to nearly 500.