We’re bringing critical healthcare facilities to communities faster through a standardised design approach across the surgical hub programme. Learn how.
Demand for healthcare in Ireland is at an all-time high. To address this, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is building six surgical hubs in key locations across the Republic. Designed to ease day-case waiting lists, these hubs will help reduce delays while larger regional elective hospitals are also being developed for the longer-term.
The new surgical hubs will cater specifically for patients requiring elective surgeries performed under general or local anaesthetic, allowing them to return home on the same day as their procedure.
Each hub will be equipped with operating theatres, procedure rooms and post-surgery recovery areas, as well as discharge lounges, consultant exam rooms and other essential facilities for both patients and staff. By alleviating pressure on major hospitals, the hubs will enable quicker access to non-urgent, planned surgeries and free up capacity within the broader healthcare system.
Standardised design
We were appointed to lead the delivery of three of the six hubs located in Cork, Waterford and Limerick.
With schedule being a key driver of the programme, a single project controls team and a single integrated design team were appointed to deliver the three projects.
A key part of the delivery strategy was to deliver each of the three sites as fast as possible and in parallel. To achieve this, it was determined to adopt a single standardised design solution that could be applied to each site location.
The design is being modelled after the highly successful Reeves Day Surgery Centre at Tallaght University Hospital.
Implementing a standard design approach has been pivotal in accelerating the delivery of this critical programme. By using standardised designs and aligning teams across multiple sites, we’ve been able to accelerate delivery while maintaining the highest standards — ensuring patients will be able to benefit from these facilities as quickly as possible.
National Director, Head of Strategic Infrastructure and Capital Delivery, Health Service Executive
Consistency, coordination and control within a collaborative environment
This standard design approach meant driving consistency, coordination and control across multiple projects, which in turn facilitated better quality and cohesive delivery across the three sites.
It enabled all teams – from design and controls to client and stakeholders – to work together with a multi-project mindset and approach decision-making based on programme-level thinking and requirements rather than with a focus on individual location needs.
To support this, our project controls team established robust management from the start, identifying and solving challenges early to ensure key milestones were met. In addition, the HSE established a client steering group to drive consistent decision-making across all sites.
This holistic approach has been embedded at every stage, including contractor procurement, with the three sites being procured under a single tender process. The key benefit of this is consistency across procurement, design development, construction delivery and resource allocation.
We have also applied this approach to cost management, allowing consistent cost forecasting, performance data, planning and budget targets. This has enabled us to maintain alignment across the three sites.
Energy efficiency and sustainability
As a public body, the HSE has a responsibility to lead in climate action, aligning with the National Climate Action Plan 2023. The new surgical hubs must therefore comply with Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) standards where the HSE has to achieve a 50 per cent reduction in energy usage, a 51 per cent cut in energy-related greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050 at the latest.
To facilitate this, various sustainability features have been integrated into the design including advanced building insulation, 100 per cent electric energy sourcing, efficient heating and lighting, and air source heat pumps for space heating and hot water.
Streamlined approaches, tangible outcomes
The collaborative, standard design approach has already had tangible results, with planning applications lodged within four months and approvals secured within ten months of the appointment of the teams by HSE. Furthermore, the contractor was appointed within 12 months of project commencement.
Plus, by using standardised designs, this has facilitated the delivery of multiple projects efficiently – even with constrained industry resources.
Once operational, these hubs will provide much-needed additional capacity for day-case procedures, addressing the high levels of demand and improving patient access to essential surgical care across the Republic of Ireland.
Main image: A computer-generated image (CGI) of the Cork surgical hub. Courtesy of O’Connell Mahon Architects