€77M hospital expansion set to start
A major new chapter in healthcare will begin next week when Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill is expected to officially turn the sod on the estimated €77 million expansion of Cavan General Hospital.
Marking the commencement of one of the largest healthcare capital projects ever undertaken in the county, the landmark development will dramatically boost capacity with a new Emergency Department, an expanded Endoscopy Unit, and over 50 additional inpatient beds within a state-of-the-art five-storey extension.
The sod-turning follows the signing of construction contracts, understood to have been awarded to Elliott Group, with building expected to get under way later this summer.
Elliotts has already laid much of the groundwork, with the local firm completing extensive enabling works on the campus including a new 150-space car park, site clearance, utility diversions and major upgrades to the hospital’s electrical and water infrastructure.
The Cavan-headquartered company has an extensive track record in healthcare construction. At Cavan General it previously delivered a dedicated Cystic Fibrosis Unit, while more recently it completed a larger €19 million, three-storey, 20-room inpatient facility at Dublin’s Beaumont Hospital.
Their portfolio also includes major expansion works at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, including a new 29-bed ward and the Phase 2 Emergency Department extension, while they formed part of the joint venture that constructed the £270 million South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen.
Confirmation of the long-awaited sod-turning came from the Minister herself during Dáil proceedings in response to a Parliamentary Question from Cavan-Monaghan Fianna Fáil TD Brendan Smith.
“I am delighted to confirm that contracts for the Endoscopy and ED extension project have been signed, and that it is envisioned that construction will commence this summer,” said Minister Carroll MacNeill.
The 7,588-square-metre extension will house a relocated Emergency Department at lower ground floor level, a relocated and significantly...
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expanded Endoscopy Unit, and three floors of modern inpatient accommodation providing 56 beds, including bariatric facilities and isolation rooms. A new link corridor will connect the extension to the existing hospital.
Planning was granted by Cavan County Council in February 2025 after the design was expanded to include two additional floors of inpatient accommodation, significantly increasing bed capacity. A second phase of low-voltage diversion works was also completed late last year, clearing the final obstacle before the main construction programme could begin.
Once complete, the relocation of the Emergency Department and Endoscopy Unit is expected to free up valuable clinical space within the existing hospital, creating capacity for the further expansion of frontline services to meet growing demand for care.
“This project is expected to improve patient flow, alleviate pressures and improve patient outcomes aligned with long-term national healthcare goals,” Minister Carroll MacNeill stated.
The flagship extension is one of two capital projects proposed for Cavan General, contained under the HSE’s 2026 Capital Plan. The Minister also confirmed that a separate three-storey expansion of the hospital’s Oncology Unit will advance to detailed design during in Q3 of this year.
Deputy Smith welcomed the confirmations, describing the development as “very significant”, and saying the new ED, expanded Endoscopy and additional inpatient accommodation will greatly improve services for patients.
Deputy Smith said he had consistently raised the need for additional accommodation at Cavan General through representations made to the HSE, the Department of Health and in parliamentary questions, adding that he was delighted to see the projects progressing.