Upgrading a helipad at Galway University Hospitals ended up costing several times the original estimate, according to an audit report by the Health Service Executive.

The work, which was supposed to cost €17,000, eventually cost “in excess of” €70,000, according to the report, which says there is no evidence on file of quotations being sought for the project.

Management had advised that the surface of the helipad was unsafe after poor weather caused the surface to break up. After the initial cost estimate was received, the extent of the repair escalated, the report says, leading to the higher final cost. “The scope of projects needs to be defined at the outset, with the extent of the proposed work identified along with financial and time budgets,” it recommends.

Internal audit findings indicate weaknesses in the procurement of contractors and the authorisation process for works. Core weaknesses included a lack of a programme of planned maintenance, a lack of evidence of needs assessment and weak audit trails and invoice controls.

The total maintenance budget in 2011 was €7.35 million, most of it paid to outside contractors. “The indication that costs may be 271 per cent of the average is evidence of a need to review maintenance costs,” the report says.

A separate report on budget controls at University of Limerick Hospitals found a €34 million overspend in 2012 and a €35 million overspend in 2011.