With just three days to go, anticipation is building for the Private Healthcare Awards 2026, taking place on Friday, 2 October at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Santry. Here's what finalists, sponsors and guests can expect on the night.

Attendees can look forward to an evening celebrating the very best of Ireland's private hospitals and healthcare providers, with finalists confirmed across 20 categories spanning healthcare excellence, operational excellence in healthcare, digital healthcare, patient experience and women in healthcare leadership. From rehabilitation services to homecare providers, the shortlist reflects the breadth of innovation shaping the sector this year.

Guests should expect a warm welcome from 18.30, with a drinks reception setting the tone before a panel discussion gets underway at 19.30. The evening's main event, the awards ceremony, begins at 21.30, when winners across each category will finally be revealed.

Two special honours will also be presented on the night: the Outstanding Contribution to the Healthcare Industry Award and the Overall Excellence Award, both to be announced live at the ceremony.

Behind every category sits an independent panel of judges drawn from across the healthcare and business community, including senior figures from Johnson & Johnson, Medica Ireland, Alliance Medical Group and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Their combined expertise in patient care, healthcare leadership and healthcare technology has shaped a shortlist that guests can expect to be closely contested.

Once the winners are crowned, attendees can expect the celebrations to continue with entertainment from 23.00, music running until midnight, and a late bar open until 2.00am for those keen to make a night of it.

For finalists and sponsors alike, the evening promises to be a fitting showcase of medical innovation and healthcare professionals raising the bar across Ireland's private healthcare sector.

For the full shortlist and to find out who takes home this year's honours, visit the Private Healthcare Awards website and subscribe to the newsletter today.