International
Akeso delivered a structured, multiphase programme support that guided Bon Secours Limerick through the successful opening of their new state-of-the-art hospital.
Bon Secours, the Republic of Ireland’s largest private hospital group, committed €213m to develop a new, state-of-the-art acute hospital in Limerick to address long-standing constraints at its historic Barrington’s site. The new hospital opened in September 2025, bringing new capability and much-needed capacity to the Mid-West region, including 99 inpatient beds, 90 day-case treatment spaces and 9 theatre spaces. It also introduced new diagnostic and interventional services to the region, strengthening private capacity and creating alternative routes for diagnostics and elective care alongside the public system.
For Bon Secours Limerick (BSL), It required building and launching a complex, high-throughput acute hospital while maintaining safe, uninterrupted operations at the existing site. With a fixed opening date and a financially sensitive first year, BSL needed specialist capability and additional capacity that could move at pace, bring independent challenge, and translate plans into executable delivery.
Akeso were initially engaged for a single phase but built credibility and strong relationships with the team at BSL that led to multiple successive phases up to the opening of the new hospital and beyond. Akeso’s commercial expertise, strong governance and data-driven modelling enabled BSL to make confident decisions at pace, at the moments that mattered most.
In Phase 1, they helped BSL develop a cost-effective support services model, defining the right balance of in-house and outsourced delivery, shaping integrated service specifications, testing market capability, and running a procurement process designed to protect value and reduce mobilisation risk. By grounding decisions in quantified baselines and real market deliverability, the integrated procurement model reduced projected costs and underpinned an 18% saving against the leading bidder, while ensuring continuity of essential services from Day 1.
In Phase 2, as timelines tightened, Akeso were bought in to provide independent readiness assurance alongside embedded, hands-on mobilisation support. They strengthened programme governance and reporting so executives had a single, evidence-based view of what was ready, what remained uncertain and which decisions were needed next. The work including mapping more than 180 operational and clinical pathways and prioritising residual risks for early mitigation. This blend of independent challenge and practical delivery support helped BSL maintain speed and alignment across interdependent workstreams, protecting the opening date and enabling a safe, on-time transition.
In Phase 3, BSL asked Akeso to build a financial forecast robust enough to guide the first year of operation. Using a zero-based approach, they combined operational data from Barrington’s hospital with service-lead input and their experience of opening clinical facilities to create an interactive forecasting tool. The model captured more than 50,000 procedures, provided a detailed monthly view across departments, and enabled rapid scenario testing as assumptions evolved. The model’s credibility meant it was adopted as the organisation’s single source of truth for the 2026 budget, supporting oversight of a €100m+ operating plan and enabling rapid response when unforeseen changes emerged after go-live.
Akeso continues to work alongside BSL, building on a strong partnership to sustain performance, protect value and keep the new hospital delivering for patients and the wider Mid-West region.
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