St James Hospital Dublin: Services, Departments, and Contact Info

Few visitors to Dublin 8 walk past St. James’s Hospital without noticing its scale — it occupies a full city block, its red-brick facade hinting at centuries of care. This guide pulls together the essential facts: what the hospital does, who it answers to, and how to reach its key departments, all drawn from its own official site and the HSE’s public directory.

Founded: 1893 ·
Hospital beds: approx. 1,000 ·
Emergency department visits per year: over 60,000 ·
Hospital type: public teaching hospital ·
Academic partner: Trinity College Dublin ·
Contact phone: (01) 410 3000

The table below compiles the hospital’s core identifiers from its official site.

The pattern: St. James’s publishes its headline numbers transparently but withholds granular departmental data.

What does St. James Hospital Dublin specialise in?

Cancer services

St. James’s is a national centre for cancer treatment and surgery. The hospital houses the largest cancer centre in Ireland, providing oncology, haematology, and surgical oncology services.

Cardiology

The hospital is a major site for cardiology care, including outpatient cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, and interventional cardiology.

Respiratory medicine

St. James’s is a key centre for respiratory medicine, offering specialist care for lung conditions.

Emergency and trauma

The Emergency Department at St. James’s handles over 60,000 attendances each year, offering 24/7 care for anyone aged 16 and older.

Dermatology and burns

The hospital’s burns unit is one of only two national centres for specialist burns care in Ireland.

Is St. James Hospital Dublin private or public?

Public hospital status

St. James’s Hospital is a public hospital funded by the Health Service Executive (HSE). It operates under the public healthcare system.

Funding from the HSE

The HSE provides funding and oversight for the hospital.

Access and eligibility

Patients are admitted based on medical need, not insurance status.

The implication: a patient’s insurance has no bearing on admission priority — clinical need sets the queue.

Is St. James Hospital Dublin the biggest hospital in Ireland?

Bed capacity and size

St. James’s Hospital is one of the largest hospitals in Ireland by bed count and patient volume, with approximately 1,000 beds.

Comparison with other Irish hospitals

Other large hospitals include Beaumont Hospital and the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital.

Role as a national tertiary referral centre

St. James’s serves as a major tertiary referral centre for the country.

The catch: bed count alone doesn’t capture St. James’s unique position as Ireland’s only national cancer centre and burns unit.

What is St. James Hospital Dublin famous for?

Academic partnership with Trinity College Dublin

St. James’s is the primary teaching hospital for Trinity College Dublin’s medical school.

National cancer centre

It houses the largest cancer centre in Ireland.

Burns unit

The hospital’s burns unit is one of only two national centres for specialist burns care.

Historical significance

St. James’s Hospital has origins as a workhouse infirmary associated with St. James’s Church of Ireland in the 1700s.

What this means: St. James’s reputation rests on three pillars — academic prestige, national cancer leadership, and a burns centre of last resort.

What are the main departments at St. James Hospital Dublin?

Emergency Department

The Emergency Department handles more than 60,000 attendances each year. Its dedicated phone number is 01 416 2774, per the HSE (HSE ED listing).

Cardiology Centre

The hospital is a major site for cardiology care.

Respiratory Medicine

St. James’s is a key centre for respiratory medicine.

Oncology and haematology

The hospital provides comprehensive cancer care.

Radiology and imaging

The hospital offers radiology and imaging services.

The pattern: each department has a defined role, but patients must go through the main switchboard to reach most of them.