HSE paid supplier 723,000 euro twice in 2021 and has not recovered overpayment

The HSE paid a supplier 723,000 euro twice and has not recovered the overpayment according to the State auditor.

The double payment was made by two different areas of the HSE on separate financial systems operating in December 2021, which was not cross checked.

The Comptroller and Auditor General Seamus McCarthy said the HSE disclosed the payment and set out actions to avoid such a situation in the future.

“The HSE acknowledges there were weaknesses in controls, particularly, in relation to appropriate goods receipting protocols,” Mr McCarthy said in an assessment attached to the HSE’s annual report and financial statements for 2024.

“The statement on internal control sets out the actions taken by the Health Service Executive to avoid similar circumstances recurring in the future.”

He said a single integrated financial system, which was due to go live at the start of this month, would “significantly reduce the risk of this kind of overpayment occurring in the future”.

Mr McCarthy also highlighted that 4.1 million euro due to the HSE was lost last year by missing deadlines by which it could claim charges for patients covered by a health insurer.

A memorandum of agreement with the health insurer in 2016 sees the HSE paid 70% of its charges for a patient stay, on account, if it makes its submission and validation within a 12-month period of a fully completed claim.

If it does not meet that deadline, it must pay for all of the costs.

“For a sample of eight hospitals examined on audit, it was noted that losses incurred in 2024 as a result of delays in submitting completed claims amounted to two million euro,” Mr McCarthy said.

“The Executive estimates that losses for the remaining hospitals it manages were €2.1 million, resulting in an estimated total loss of 4.1 million euro for 2024.”

The HSE’s annual report indicated there was a 10% reduction in the number of people waiting on trolleys in emergency departments last year.

Over 108,000 people were recorded on trolleys in emergency departments last year, amid an 8% increase in the total number of people attending and a rise of 7% in admissions to emergency departments.

HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster said one of the most “challenging” aspects for the HSE was wait times for healthcare, and said tackling “unacceptably long” waits in emergency departments was an area of focus.

The HSE annual report for 2024 analyses the health service’s performance and health trends among Irish people.

“Addressing waiting lists for scheduled care and unacceptably long waits in emergency departments (EDs) remains a priority focus area, especially for older people and those with complex needs,” Mr Gloster said in the foreword.

“My plan for 2025 is to continue to bring trolley numbers down and to improve how our health and social care system works across seven days to allow consistent access to care.”

Requests for assessments of need for children spiked by 26% last year compared to a year previous, and were 33% above expected demand in 2024.

There were 8,400 such requests in 2023 and more than 10,600 in 2024, in figures which had previously been shared by Children’s Minister Norma Foley in the Dail.

Although there was a slight uptake on the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine compared to the previous year, the 89.9% figure was below the target for 2024.

The chairman of the HSE’s board, Ciaran Devane, said in an introductory statement to the report that Ireland’s population is ageing “faster than that of any other country in the EU”.

Since 2015, the number of people aged 65 years and over has increased by 37%.

Although life expectancy in Ireland, at 82.6 years, is ahead of the EU average, the burden of cancer is higher and accounts for a quarter of all deaths of those aged over 65.

Mr Gloster, who is to step down from his role in March 2026, said 2024 was a year of “real progress”.

“We reduced the number of people waiting on trolleys by over 10%, expanded community services and improved access to scheduled care with an additional 24,000 patients seen within target timeframes.

“Our focus in 2025 will be to build on this momentum, improve patient flow and continue to reform how care is delivered across seven days.”