Kingsbridge Healthcare Group has reopened Kingsbridge Sligo following a €4.5 million investment that reconfigures the hospital as an ambulatory care unit serving Sligo, Leitrim, south Donegal, north Mayo and Roscommon. The model prioritises rapid access, advanced diagnostics and high-volume day surgery close to where patients live.

The refit at the Ray MacSharry Road facility introduces new MRI, X-ray and endoscopy systems, alongside a day-surgery theatre with enhanced air filtration designed to reduce infection risk.

Kingsbridge was founded in Belfast in 2005 by Suresh Tharma and Ashok Songra and has grown to four hospitals and 11 clinics across Belfast, Derry/Londonderry and Sligo. The group is backed by private equity firm Exponent, with chief executive Mark Regan leading the senior team.

Kingsbridge Sligo now offers day surgery for cataracts, urology and gynaecology, endoscopy for gastrointestinal cancer detection and expanded outpatient services covering orthopaedic hip, knee, foot, ankle and spine care. A 1.5T MRI scanner is provided through a partnership with Alliance Medical, with same-day x-ray access for GP and clinical referrers.

"This €4.5 million investment demonstrates our strong commitment to the future of Kingsbridge in Sligo, and to giving the north west the best possible healthcare for many years to come," said Mark Regan, chief executive of Kingsbridge Healthcare Group. "Following the upgrade works, Kingsbridge Sligo now has one of the most advanced endoscopy systems for gastrointestinal investigation on the island of Ireland, allowing physicians to detect cancers at an earlier stage with greater accuracy."

The structural driver behind the project is a hub-and-spoke model, with smaller regional centres handling rapid access to minor surgery and diagnostics while larger centres of excellence take more complex cases. Kingsbridge recently invested a further €20 million in its 38-bed surgical hospital near Derry, which specialises in paediatrics, bariatrics and robotic spine and knee surgery.

A CT scanner, also delivered with Alliance Medical, will be installed in spring 2027, and additional consultants are establishing satellite clinics within the new unit.

For the sector, the reopening confirms that Irish private hospital groups are reshaping regional sites into ambulatory hubs backed by advanced diagnostics rather than competing on inpatient bed capacity.

Source: businesseye.co.uk / newsletter.co.uk