There's been a major step forward for plans to develop two new blocks at UHG, providing 300 new beds.
A design team has now been appointed to the project, seen as critical to tackling persistent overcrowding issues.
The first block will be built near the Emergency Department, while the second will be at the back of the hospital campus.
Each will offer 150 new bed spaces and will be connected to the main hospital across multiple floors.
The HSE says considerable enabling works are needed to clear both sites, including the demolition of some low-rise buildings.
This is all part of a wider masterplan to redevelop and improve UHG over the coming years.
Other plans in motion include a new emergency department, critical care unit, surgical theatres, a cancer centre, and women and children's unit.
Now that a design team has been appointed for the two new blocks delivering 300 new beds, the HSE says it's looking forward to efficiently progressing the project to the next stage.
That will be the submission of a preliminary business case.
The successful team is Perkins & Will, in collaboration with Cullen Payne Architects, who will lead a team through all stages of design and delivery.
Today's news comes as INMO figures show that UHG was the second most overcrowded hospital in the country during April, with more than a thousand people on trolleys.]
