Plans for Celtic Tiger private hospital resurrected in Midlands town

A Midlands developer has resurrected plans to build a new private hospital in Tullamore on the same site as was envisaged during the boom years.

For well over a decade a rusty steel skeleton has marked the site of the Celtic Tiger project located off the town's bypass at the Ardan Roundabout. It being given a new life by John Flanagan Developments.

The company is set to lodge an application for a €60 million, 99 bed hospital located on its Wellwood Health Campus on the N52 Tullamore bypass. In 2021 the Flanagan group was granted permission to build a 244 bedroom, four storey nursing home and step down facility on the same site.

Now, the company's Joint Managing Director, Dominic Doheny, has revealed a change in focus came which its reported has come about following talks with end users, who it is claimed felt there was a greater need for a hospital to help offset the massive patient waiting lists currently being experienced.

Mr Doheny referenced the Sláinte Care report which highlighted a national deficit of acute beds in the system and the urgent need for 3,000 beds to serve a growing population.

The proposed public/private hospital will be ''high-end'' and include six operating theatres, endoscopy suites and a full range of diagnostic supports which would the group say ''help to address the deficit in such services in the Midlands.''

''Tullamore Regional Hospital serves a population of 405,000 people spread across up to 10 counties,'' said Dominic Doheny. ''If we are successful in our application the hospital will be in a position to improve the lives and medical outcomes for the greater midlands region of the country.''

''Tullamore has quietly become a centre of medical excellence in Ireland'' said Doheny. ''Not only is it the location of the Regional Hospital but also it is fortunate to have a large Education Centre for the benefit of staff along with the recently announced New National Digital Health Innovation Lab. The comparatively low cost of living here means the town and county will continue to attract the best in medical expertise.''

Mr Doheny said the Flanagan Developments are in talks with the HSE and have had ''positive engagement with them.''

He said he is hoping that work can begin on the development at the end of next year, using the familiar steel structure. Safety tests were carried out on the framework last year and 99% of it will stay. He said the planning process is only the first stage of the development with talks with the HSE and others to follow.

''The new hospital is part of the Wellwood Healthcare Campus'' said John Flanagan, Joint Managing Director. ''We expect that 200 plus people will be employed during the construction phase.''

This is the second time Flanagan Developments have applied to build a hospital on the Wellwood site. Construction was well underway and the steel structure on the Tullamore bypass has been in place since the project was shelved in 2008 after the Mater Private pulled out of the venture.

Prior to the planning application for a nursing home on the site, it had gone up for sale by private treaty with key benefits highlighted as its strategic location and potential to deliver a major healthcare campus.

At that time the ambition was to create a nursing home, a two-storey apartment block providing a total of 33 units for independent living. A one storey apartment block providing a total of 17 units, one storey hospice facility with 24 bed spaces, provision for a day care centre and creche. It also said that future developments could include a pharmacy, dentist, physiotherapy and consultants.

Meanwhile Barry Cowen TD for Laois-Offaly, said he was very pleased with the direction the project is now taking.

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“I welcome the fact that the facility will complement the existing hospital and I am sure it will play its part in improving the provision of health services in the region,” said Deputy Cowen.

“I look forward to working with the developers to advance this proposal.”