Frustration over future of hospital sevices

Results of public survey

The Mid West Hospital Campaign has published the results of a major public survey, revealing deep frustration and anger at the lack of public consultation on the future of hospital services in the Mid West.

Between December 2025 and January 2026, 2,567 people from across Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary took part in the ‘Have Your Say’ survey. This is the first time the public has been directly asked for their views since the HIQA report was published.

The results show overwhelming opposition to plans that exclude a new hospital with a full Emergency Department (Option C) and highlight widespread concern that decisions about people’s lives and safety are being made without their involvement.

Key Findings

• 92.25% of respondents oppose excluding Option C, which includes a new hospital with a full Emergency Department.

• 93.12% want planning for Option C to begin at the same time as other options, not pushed years into the future.

• 76.53% are not prepared to wait years for Option C to even reach discussion stage.

• 94.60% believe that distance from and location of an Emergency Department must be a major factor in decision making.

• 94.24% believe their communities’ concerns have not been reflected in political responses to date.

A spokesperson for the Mid West Hospital Campaign said: “These figures show just how disconnected decision-making has become from the lived reality of people in the Mid West. For years, communities have been talking about unsafe overcrowding, ambulance diversions, and dangerous delays in emergency care, yet they were not consulted in any meaningful way before these proposals were advanced. This survey is the public finally being given a voice, and the message is loud and clear: people want a hospital with a full Emergency Department seriously planned for now, not side lined for another decade.

“For the people of Clare in particular, access to a hospital with an Emergency Department is not a luxury, it is a matter of safety and survival. Decisions of this scale cannot be made behind closed doors while communities are left dealing with the consequences.”

The Mid West Hospital Campaign is calling on the Minister for Health and all elected representatives in the region to pause and reflect on the lack of public consultation to date, and to commit to meaningful engagement with communities before any final decisions are taken.

The group is also calling for parallel planning of Option C alongside other proposals, in line with the clear wishes of the public.