NEWS: Kingsbridge Private Hospital Partners with Vhi, the Largest Private Health Insurer in the Republic of Ireland

13th, Mar 2025

Kingsbridge Private Hospital in Belfast will now provide healthcare services to Vhi members following a partnership agreement to extend Vhi cover to the ultra-modern Belfast facility. With 1.2 million members, Vhi is the largest health insurer in the Republic of Ireland.

Vhi members can now enjoy access to the three private hospitals in the Kingsbridge Healthcare Group in Belfast, Londonderry/Derry and Sligo, and that includes access to the Kingsbridge Diagnostics and Treatment Centre which shares a campus with Kingsbridge Private Hospital on Belfast’s Lisburn Road, just off the M1 artery into the city.

This partnership will further extend the reach of Kingsbridge into the Republic of Ireland where it has already built up a strong reputation, treating more than 60,000 patients from the Republic of Ireland over the past three years and reducing waiting list times under the HSE’s national treatment purchase fund (NTPF) and Northern Ireland Planned Healthcare Scheme (formerly known as the Cross-Border Healthcare Directive).

The extended partnership will provide Vhi members with a broader range of options, faster access to surgeries and medical consultations in Belfast as well as enhanced post-surgical care for joint replacements. These services will be delivered in an efficient clinical setting, located within an hour's drive for hundreds of thousands of Vhi members in the Republic of Ireland.

In most cases, surgical patients will be offered a consultation within a week and surgery within three weeks of making initial contact with Kingsbridge.

Kingsbridge Healthcare Group CEO Mark Regan said:

“We strive to provide the highest standard of care promptly, efficiently and with the best interests of the patient at the heart of what we do. We pride ourselves on being able to bridge medicine and hospitality to enhance our patients’ experience.

We are excited to work with Vhi, a dynamic provider of care and the largest health insurer on the island, and we believe this partnership will offer their members greater choice in accessing high-quality healthcare on the Island of Ireland.”

Mark Byrne, Vhi’s Director of Healthcare Partnerships said: 

"We are pleased to further extend our partnership with Kingsbridge Healthcare Group with the addition of Kingsbridge Private Hospital in Belfast. This collaboration will provide Vhi members living in the border region with greater access to high-quality medical services in a modern facility. We look forward to the benefits this partnership will bring to our members."

Vhi provides private health insurance to over 1.2 million members in the Republic of Ireland and reimburses €1.6 billion in medical-related claims each year. Kingsbridge provides more than 25,000 surgical treatments each year with 450 consultants providing care across 50 specialities. 

In-patient procedures at Kingsbridge Belfast cover all the main specialties including orthopaedics, general surgery, ENT and gynaecology, diagnostics and scans are conducted on an out-patient basis.

Kingsbridge Healthcare Group will engage intensively with GPs, patients and corporate organisations in the Republic through 2025 to build on its existing and long-standing relationships. It is putting in place a network of satellite clinics across the island for patient aftercare and follow-up.

It will offer fast access to first appointments and surgery via a new online booking platform on their website. Patients will be able to follow their own treatment pathway by registering on the Kingsbridge patient portal.

The Lisburn Road campus boasts state-of-the-art facilities including robotic surgery and pharmacies on site. Vhi members will be offered preferential rates for other services available at Kingsbridge like laser eye treatment, hearing aid provision, and a sleep and snoring clinic.

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