The salary of the chief executive of St John’s Hospital in Limerick was increased in breach of public pay scales, The Irish Times has learned.
St John’s, which is an acute, public voluntary hospital in Limerick city, is a registered charity under the Charities Acts.
Its financial accounts show the 99-bed healthcare facility received €41.8 million in Health Service Executive (HSE) funding last year, but incurred a deficit of €1.3 million.
According to the HSE, St John’s is a H2 hospital under the consolidated public pay scales, which are approved by the Department of Health and Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
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The August 1st incremental public pay scales say a chief executive of a hospital in the H2 category can earn between €99,829 and €106,866.
However, The Irish Times understands St John’s increased its chief executive’s salary to somewhere within the scale of a H3 hospital, despite not falling into this category. In the H3 bracket, a chief executive can earn between €119,571 and €140,747.
Chief executive of St John’s, Emer Martin, declined to respond to a request for comment regarding her salary. She was appointed to the role in December, 2019.
A HSE document outlining the salary scales says they “must be strictly adhered to and in no circumstances should an employee receive remuneration in the nature of pay and allowances of an amount greater than the amount prescribed for the relevant grade”.
Asked about this pay rise, a spokeswoman for HSE Mid West, the health region under which St John’s comes, said it does not discuss individual employees due to privacy concerns and legal obligations regarding confidentiality and data protection.
“However, we are aware of an issue of noncompliance with the public pay policy within St John’s Hospital, Limerick,” she said.
“We are in discussions with the board of St John’s to ensure that all their employees are in full compliance with consolidated pay scales as approved by the Department of Health and Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.”
In its most recent financial accounts, for 2024, an independent auditor provided a report to the hospital board that found it incurred a deficit of €1.32 million , resulting in an accumulated deficit carried forward of €5.51 million.
“These losses have primarily arisen from increasing patient support needs and rising costs associated with healthcare delivery. The hospital is primarily funded by the HSE in delivering its services,” the report says.
According to the financial statement, the directors have assessed the hospital’s ability to continue as a going concern, meaning they have a “reasonable expectation” it will continue to operate for the foreseeable future based on the resources available and ongoing engagement with the HSE.
However, the auditor said: “These conditions, particularly the recurring deficits and budgetary constraints, represent a material uncertainty that may cast doubt upon the hospital’s ability to continue as a going concern.”
The report added that there is a “co-ordinated effort” between the directors, the HSE and the department to bring the hospital “to a stabilised financial position”.
“The directors are also fully cognisant of their responsibility to manage resources efficiently and are actively working to deliver the cost savings required for 2025 and future periods,” it added.
The Charities Regulator said it does not comment on matters regarding individual charities.
The Department of Health said a concern around compliance with public pay policy was brought to its attention, and the HSE is working with the hospital board on the issue.
