The audit revealed that while two out of three providers had directors linked to Hospital Limerick, there was no evidence of conflict in contract awarding. However, non-compliance with procurement rules was noted as €20.3 million was allocated without a competitive process. Senior management admitted to lacking a dedicated procurement function and mentioned ongoing discussions with HSE National Procurement service to address the issue.
Hospital management justified their choice of employing services with staff links, citing the geographical needs of patients and service capacity. They emphasized that qualifications and post-treatment support were also considered important in their procurement decisions.
The audit focused on how hospitals utilized national funding of approximately €99 million intended for reducing patient treatment wait times. University Hospital Limerick received the most funding at €23.9 million, a significant amount relative to the available private facilities.
In a similar breach, University Hospital Galway claimed it could only find one consultant for a specialized service, leading to treatment of far fewer patients than planned. This case also highlighted difficulties with utilizing the allocated funds effectively.
#hospital-procurement #audit-findings #university-hospital-limerick #healthcare-funding #patient-treatment-services
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