Plan for €40m private hospital
Planning permission is being sought from Wexford County Council to build a new private hospital at an estimated cost of €40 million at Carricklawn on the outskirts of Wexford town.
The applicants are Slaney Clinic Ltd whose directors Suhail Khan and Mark Mulhern, both consultant doctors, have been working on the project for the past two years and have secured financial backing from investors.
The company is seeking permission to construct a state-ofthe-art medical facility consisting of a five-storey high block and a four-storey block with a four-storey curved link entrance along with on-site patient and staff parking and a connection to the public mains at Carricklawn.
Notice of intention to lodge a full planning application was publicly advertised by Slaney Clinic Ltd which has an address at 23 Abbey Court, George’s Street, Wexford.
The plan is to build a modern medical facility that will provide convenient, specialist health care services and procedures to both private and public patients, eliminating the need for people to travel outside the county.
Slaney Clinic is hoping to forge a unique financial model of public-private partnership which should contribute to reduced waiting lists in public hospitals, if the project is given the go-head by Council planners,
Public representatives including T.D.’s, the Mayor, councillors and medical consultants and G.P’s will be fully briefed on the project at an information evening in Clayton Whites Hotel later this week.
The new hospital is expected to provide a major boost to the local economy, creating jobs and supporting businesses into the future.
‘It will put Wexford on the map as a centre of excellence in health care’, said the CEO, Mr. Khan, a consultant general surgeon in Wexford General Hospital.
‘Our facility will offer the newest, cutting-edge treatments, ensuring better care and outcomes for every patient who comes through our doors’.
‘Forward thinking consultants and medical professionals will work together to provide worldclass, patient-centred care right here in the heart of Wexford, he added.’
Health care services across multiple disciplines will be available including cardiology, oncology, radiology, physiotherapy and wound care.
The hospital will cover a total floor area of 91,752 sq ft over four and five levels and the facilities will include a late-night pharmacy, laboratory, endoscopy room, 24 consultant rooms, high tech operating rooms and a 28-bed day ward.
The site is adjacent to Wexford General Hospital, with convenient access to all major routes serving the county.
Auctioneer, John Keane was instrumental in putting the land deal together and Slaney Clinic Chairman Mark Mulhern, a consultant opthalmologist, thanked him for ‘the professional manner in which it was successfully handled’.
The 3.1 acre site formerly owned by Wexford County
Council was offered for sale on the open market and was sold to Slaney Clinic earlier this year for €250,000, subject to planning permission, with the approval of local councillors. A stipulation of sale was that permission had to be applied for within three months of the signing of contracts.
The land is adjacent to Wexford General Hospital and across the road from the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
It is close to a site which was sold earlier by the County ouncil to the HSE to facilitate the future development of the General Hospital.
The private hospital has been designed by Arcadia Architects of Ardcavan, Wexford and the proposed new landmark building will be nZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Buildings) compliant. Solar PV renewable energy sources will be roof-mounted on each of the main blocks.
The architects researched best design practice in renowned health care facilities around the world during their work on the project.
The south facing building has key design features including a changing places facility, two lightwell courtyards, a cafe with a terrace and a rooftop garden to promote a healthy environment for staff, patients and visitors.
‘Our vision is to inspire hope and contribute to the health and well-being of the local community’, said Mr. Khan.
‘The proximity of the facility will alleviate the suffering of local people who often currently have to travel long distances for essential health care’.
Slaney Clinic will provide a full range of day-care surgical procedures currently not carried out in Wexford General Hospital and will cater for patients in an extended catchment area including Wicklow, Kilkenny and Waterford.
It is anticipated that given planning approval, the hospital would take two years to complete and would be ready to open in 2022.