A new two-storey extension, to be developed at Mayo University Hospital, will include an extension of the Emergency Department (ED) on the ground floor and new Acute Medical Assessment Unit (AMAU) on the first floor.
The new ED facilities will be constructed in the courtyard connecting into the existing ED. The existing ED will also undergo major refurbishment as part of the plans. The ED extension will provide additional patient cubicles including isolation facilities, gynaecology treatment suite and associated staff and clinical support facilities. This extension will support full separation of adult and paediatric care. There will also be significant improvement in streaming of patients and resuscitation facilities for critically unwell patient presenting to the hospital. The ground floor also has a single-storey section to provide extra support accommodation for the emergency department.
On the first floor the Acute Medical Assessment Unit (AMAU) is designed to support the ongoing development of the acute medical programme with patient assessment cubicles, isolation facilities, private spaces for patient consultations. This unit is designed to receive patient directly from GP and transfer appropriate patient from ED. This unit is linked directly into the inpatient services and will form part of an acute unit.
The development includes a new ambulance entrance, with works carried out to the existing ambulance drop-off/set-down area providing increased emergency vehicle capacity. Catherine Donohoe, Hospital Manager at MUH said that the project will have a transformative impact for the hospital, resulting in much better patient experience.
“The dual development will result in having the right patients in the right place and giving assured pathways for our patient and good access for our GP colleagues. It will assist us in meeting the growing service demands while providing an improved environment for our staff as well as our patients.”
There are multiple phases of works planned to deliver this project, with the first enabling works anticipated to commence construction by mid-2024. Construction of the main building extension works is anticipated to commence by mid-2025.
Tony Canavan, Regional Executive Officer at HSE West and North-West, described the ED expansion as a “huge step forward in our plans to develop more capacity for the region”.
