HSE Audit Committee concerned by St Vincent’s review

According to minutes of the Audit Committee meeting for April, the Committee expressed concern that the review, which was conducted by Deloitte, found the average outstanding balance owed by the private to the public hospital equates to approximately four months of costs.

The Committee also discussed how requests by Deloitte for original documentation to be made available to them in respect of the change in bank security were refused.

A spokesperson for SVHG noted that the Deloitte review, which was finalised in November 2015, made no adverse findings against the Group on the three areas referred to by the Audit Committee.

“St Vincent’s University Hospital (SVUH) and St Vincent’s Private Hospital (SVPH) are run as separate operations and each have their own separate management structures, with separate banking facilities and audited financial accounts,” the spokesperson told the <strong><em>Medical Independent</em></strong> (<strong><em>MI</em></strong>).

“SVUH provides certain services to SVPH, such as pathology and blood products, which are recharged on a full-cost recovery basis. The Deloitte report showed that, during the period under review (1 January 2013 to 30 June 2015 — 30 months), SVUH recharged SVPH in excess of €12.6 million in respect of such services, and that nearly all that money had already been paid by SVPH by June 30 2015. The balance, which included invoices raised in June 2015, was paid subsequently.”

A request by Deloitte for banking documentation relating to the lending details of the private hospital  business only was refused on the basis of commercial confidentiality and was not relevant to the Section 38 relationship with the HSE, according to the spokesperson. They underlined the fact that SVPH has completely separate banking facilities to SVUH.

“SVHG has not been notified by the HSE of any concerns in relation to the Deloitte report, which it would have received about eight months ago,” the spokesperson stated.