St Vincent’s dismisses two staff after procurement inquiry

Two employees of St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin have been dismissed after an investigation into procurement at the hospital.

The investigation, sparked by a report by the RTÉ Investigations Unit last year, centred on allegations that staff accepted holidays and one of them sought a gift from a supplier, Eurosurgical Ltd. Commercially sensitive information was also provided to Eurosurgical, it was alleged.

After the revelations the hospital undertook a formal, independent investigation concerning the employees of the purchasing and procurement department, a spokesman said.

“As a result of this investigation, a disciplinary process took place which culminated in a decision to dismiss both employees concerned.”

The hospital said it was currently making arrangements to advertise both of these roles.

Last December, the HSE told the Dáil Public Accounts Committee that investigating gardaí had not received any specific information to enable them to begin a prosecution.

The HSE is conducting its own investigation into allegations concerning procurement in a number of hospitals it runs.

An employee of the Beacon private hospital in Dublin resigned last year after featuring in the programme.