merrion street

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has today (4th August) announced the approval and publication of the Health Service Executive’s Capital Plan for 2021.     

The Capital Plan being published today is a continued sign of the investment taking place in our health service. This plan will support the delivery of strategic reform and a move towards universal healthcare, and build on the positive and innovative changes made during the COVID-19 pandemic.    

The Health capital allocation in 2021 is €983m for the construction and equipping of health facilities. This investment enables the HSE to plan and fund the projects that were included in previous plans and to progress additional evaluated and prioritised projects in 2021 including Government priority programmes and major capital projects.    

Capital investment has a key role to play in enhancing service provision, ensuring the delivery of high quality and safe health and social care, and driving the reforms set out in Sláintecare. This includes investment to facilitate reorienting the model of care towards primary and community settings, addressing capacity and infrastructural deficits.  

Minister Donnelly said: “I am delighted to approve the HSE Capital Plan today.  The significant investment in health infrastructure reflected in this plan is evidence of the importance that the Government places on improving healthcare in Ireland and supporting the move towards universal healthcare.

”The projects in this plan place a focus on the patient experience and the delivery of a quality health and social care service. At any time around 350 capital projects in health are ongoing and this plan continues the progress in delivering new builds, replacement infrastructure and more community healthcare.”

There are many significant health capital projects and programmes underway and at various stages of development in the public health sector. These include:  

• The New Children’s Hospital  
• Projects to provide additional capacity in our hospitals   
• The Radiation Oncology Programme in Cork, Dublin and Galway  
• The Primary Care Centre construction programme   
• The replacement and refurbishment of community nursing units for older people and long-term residential care units and housing in the community for people with disabilities  
• Mental health projects to upgrade and expand facilities 
• The Capital Plan 2021 also includes capital funding for the national equipment replacement programme, ambulance fleet replacement and minor capital provision to deal with infrastructural risk priorities.  

In line with the Public Spending Code, all capital development proposals must progress through detailed appraisal, planning and design, procurement, construction and commissioning stages before a firm timeline or funding requirement can be established.  

ENDS //

Notes for Editor

The full 2021 Health Capital Plan is available at https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/publications/corporate/hse-capital-plan-2021.pdf