The Avoca Clinic has been named winner of the overall excellence award at the Private Healthcare Awards 2025, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry, Dublin.
The event, now in its second year, brought together 227 attendees to celebrate excellence across Ireland’s private healthcare sector.
Hosted by Colm O’Regan, the ceremony saw 18 trophies awarded across various categories, with 28 companies competing through 56 entries.
Founded in 2012, The Avoca Clinic offers surgical and non-surgical cosmetic treatments and is led by mother-and-daughter team, CEO, Niamh Murdock and founder and patient experience director, Ailish Kelly.
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In 2024, the business received €7 million equity investment from BGF to finance expansion of surgical capacity and clinic footprint.
The judging panel praised The Avoca Clinic for its dedication to delivering exceptional, patient-centred care and its commitment to innovation and continuous improvement.
“With a team driven by passion and professionalism, they consistently achieved outstanding outcomes and transformative patient experiences, cementing their place as a true leader in the industry,” the award citation stated.
Ailish Kelly, founder and patient experience director at The Avoca Clinic, remarked that competing among many prestigious healthcare companies made the clinic’s award “even more special.”
The private healthcare sector in Ireland encompasses approximately 20 private hospitals and numerous day-case facilities.
These facilities provide elective procedures, diagnostics, outpatient services, and complex treatments that were once the exclusive domain of public hospitals.
Private hospitals have invested heavily in modern facilities and advanced medical technologies, contributing to overall healthcare capacity.
The sector appears poised for continued growth, driven by demographic ageing, medical advancement, and public system waiting lists.
Shay Dalton, managing partner at title sponsor Medforce, said the company is proud to support an event that recognises excellence across Irish healthcare.
“With first-hand experience in acute and social care, we understand the sector deeply and see daily the impact strong leadership makes – exactly what these awards celebrate,” he added.
Seapoint Clinic was the award winner in the dental practice category. “We’re entering an age where digital dentistry and hospitality converge,” said owner Thomas Linehan. “The clinics that thrive will be those that use technology not to replace human touch but to elevate it.”
Brian Diskin, head of quality and safety at Nua Healthcare Services, said the team was delighted with their award win, describing it as “an acknowledgment of all the effort we put in over the course of multiple years”.
Dr Orla Conlon, founder and medical director at Marble Arch Health said award recognition “puts us on the map and empowers people to seek healthcare that they may not have known was already available.”
James Whitehurst, RVP of sales at gold sponsor Doctify, noted that event attendees were precisely the target market Doctify has been pursuing.
Having operated in Ireland for 18 months, he said the company was looking forward to engaging with existing clients and potential future partners on an ongoing basis.
Among other award winners, Jean Fortune, clinical nurse manager at Resilience Healthcare commented: “We were absolutely delighted to receive the award for all the recognition and hard work that we put in for the people that we support.”
Sorcha Murray, COO said Optilase Eye Clinic was “really proud to be able to showcase everything that our team does.”
Eoin Bailey, CNM 2 Cardiology of The Beacon Hospital, noted that the awards programme provides valuable validation, explaining: “It helps affirm any projects or any ideas you have going on in your clinical environment. If you want affirmation from your peers, it’s a good way to find out.”
CEO, Declan Murphy said gold sponsor Servisource is proud to support the Private Healthcare Awards, which celebrate innovation, dedication, and excellence across the sector.
“At Servisource, as a trusted partner in healthcare workforce solutions, we see first-hand how recognising these achievements inspires collaboration, drives progress, and ultimately enhances patient outcomes across Ireland’s private healthcare industry,” he explained.
Comfort Homecare was shortlisted in the homecare provider category, and director Cillian Shortt said the firm was “beyond proud” to be a finalist.
“As Ireland’s largest family-run, fully Irish-owned provider, we proudly prioritise rural communities. It is important to recognise our incredible carers, paid top rates plus 41c/km, whose work keeps people safe, happy, and thriving at home. Working closely with the HSE and Sláintecare, we’ll continue putting tenderness back into home care,” he remarked
Judging coordinator, Ann Hogan, retired principal medical officer, formerly HSE said the awards submissions demonstrated the range of high-quality private healthcare services being provided in Ireland.
“The awards give private healthcare providers an opportunity to showcase their services and how they implement their vision. Many entrants demonstrated commitment to continuous quality improvement and patient-centred care,” she added.
Sean Bortolozzo, community lead at BusinessRiver, commented: “Events like this are made possible through the support of sponsors. We are thankful to our 2025 sponsors, Medforce, Servisource, Doctify, and Medica. I also want to recognise our supporter, Amárach Research and our communications partner, The Irish Times. Their investment in the awards underlines their commitment and support of this key business area.”
Sponsors & Supporters
Title Sponsor
● Medforce
Gold Sponsors
● Servisource
● Doctify
● Medica
Supporter
● Amárach Research
Communication Partner
● The Irish Times
Awards judges
● Ann Hogan (judging coordinator), retired principal medical officer, formerly HSE
● Anita Boylan, director of clinical services and operations, St Vincent’s Private Hospital
● Karen Charnley, CEO, All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care
● Ed Cherry, managing director, New Vision Healthcare
● Graham Cosgrave, director of medical recruitment, Match Medics
● Conor Ellis, director, Health Planning Delivery Ltd (Ireland)
● Claudia McGloin, specialist medical aesthetic & orthopaedic nurse practitioner, The Regenerative Expert Nurse
● Caroline Moran, managing director, Hibernian Healthcare at Home Ltd
● Brid Seoighe, medical director, Johnson & Johnson
Award winners
Overall excellence award (sponsored by Medforce)
Winner: The Avoca Clinic
Cosmetic clinic of the year
Winner: Ailesbury Clinic
Sports injury clinic of the year
Winner: Gold Standard Physiotherapy Clinics
Dental practice of the year (sponsored by Doctify)
Winner: Seapoint Clinic
Total healthcare clinic of the year (sponsored by Doctify)
Winner: The Avoca Clinic
Healthcare facility of the year (sponsored by Medforce)
Winner: Optilase Eye Clinic
Residential care home/nursing home of the year
Winner: Hamilton Park Care Facility
Homecare provider of the year
Winner: Nua Healthcare Services
Women in healthcare award (sponsored by Medica)
Winner: Marble Arch Health – Dr. Orla Conlon
Excellence in patient care (sponsored by Medforce)
Winner: The Beacon Hospital
Patient impact award
Winner: Resilience Healthcare
Best patient support initiative award
Winner: Nua Healthcare Service Clinical Department
Green healthcare achievement award
Winner: VHI
Excellence in staff development & retention (sponsored by Medforce)
Winner: The EXCAPE Story
Best use of technology
Winner: Mater Private Network – Microsoft Forms & Cloud Automation
Best collaboration project (sponsored by Servisource)
Winner: Medica, XWave and the HSE
Excellence in healthcare education and training (sponsored by Servisource)
Winner: VHI 360 Health Center
Excellence in health & safety
Winner: Nua Healthcare Services
For more information on the Private Healthcare Awards, visit here
