The hospital has its origins in the Ardkeen Chest Hospital which was established in 1952.[2] After services had been transferred from St. Patrick's Hospital, Waterford in 1959, the chest hospital developed into a general hospital known as Waterford Regional Hospital (WRH).[2] New facilities including a new accident and emergency department, a new neonatal unit, and a new CT scanning unit were officially opened by James Reilly, Minister of Health, in May 2014.[3] The hospital was renamed University Hospital Waterford at that time.[3]
In April 2019, it was claimed that bodies had been 'left to decompose' on trolleys at the hospital.[4]