Beaumont Hospital said it ‘remains available’ to appear before the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC) after members called on its management to explain ‘astounding’ failures of governance.
Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) Seamus McCarthy revealed to the committee that the hospital spent €17.9 million on ‘non-compliant procurement’ in 2024.
Of this, €1.5 million was paid to a radiology firm which has 20 hospital staff among its directors. However, only four of those had officially declared their interest in the firm.
The revelations come after an October 2025 PAC meeting where Beaumont CEO Anne Coyle said that the hospital had to return €25,000 to the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) after an error was made in billing for insourcing work.
The hospital was also then quizzed on significant overspend on an IT system (Project Coral) that was eventually rolled out in 2024 at an overall cost of €4.8 million – more than double the projected cost of €2 million.
In response to a request for comment from IMT, a spokesperson for Beaumont said the IT project consisted of “a three-year transformation programme which replaced a 35-year-old legacy system and involved the successful training of 3,000 staff.
“With Project Coral (iPMS and ORBIS) now live, Beaumont is equipped with a modern, future-proof system that will enhance day-to-day operations, improve efficiency, and provide staff with the tools needed to continue delivering high-quality services to patients for years to come.”
The spokesperson said that the hospital is “committed to the highest standards of financial management, governance and procurement oversight.
“We take the stewardship of public funds extremely seriously and maintain robust controls, clear accountability and full transparency at all times. Where issues arise, we seek to address immediately, and we also conduct a comprehensive review to identify and implement any necessary actions.
“Beaumont Hospital submitted its audited financial statements (AFS) for 2024 to the Minister for Health on January 5, 2026. The circumstances surrounding cost over runs relating to capital projects have been addressed by the establishment of a joint HSE and Hospital Capital Governance and oversight committee which meets on a monthly recurring basis to review and develop major and minor projects in accordance with the requirements of the Strategic Healthcare Investment Framework (SHIF).”
Beaumont Hospital’s level of compliance with Public Procurement Regulations increased from 91.8 per cent in 2023 to 93.3 per cent by the end of 2024, the spokesperson added.
“Proactive steps have been taken to further improve compliance with procurement practices identified in the audited financial statements. The rate of compliance for 2025 stands at 93.9 per cent, highlighting sustained annual improvement since 2023.”
Original source: ie