Beacon Hospital apologises for school vaccination controversy and orders review

The statement also said the board "unreservedly apologised" to its patients, staff and the wider community for the upset caused by the vaccination of the teachers in the Beacon Vaccination Centre. Picture: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos

The Beacon Hospital has announced that an independent review is to be conducted after the hospital vaccinating teachers at St Gerard’s private school in Bray, Co Wicklow.

Coronavirus vaccine operations at the hospital have been suspended after it used 20 doses, which were left over after a daily vaccination session, to vaccinate some staff members at the exclusive school.

In a statement issued this evening, the board said it has appointed Eugene McCague former managing partner and chairman of Arthur Cox to conduct the review on behalf of the non-executive members.

Mr McCague is also a former board member of the HSE.

The statement also said the board "unreservedly apologised" to its patients, staff and the wider community for the upset caused by the vaccination of the teachers in the Beacon Vaccination Centre.

Earlier, Micheál Martin said it is “repugnant” that a private hospital used spare jabs to vaccinate teachers from an exclusive school.

The Taoiseach said what happened was “unacceptable”.

“I’ve condemned it. It’s repugnant something like that would actually happen,” the Fianna Fail leader said on Monday.

“That’s why the administration of vaccines there has been suspended. The vaccines belong to the people of Ireland.

“The prioritisation has been the most vulnerable in terms of senior citizens, residents in nursing homes, frontline healthcare workers and those with underlying health conditions.”

Earlier, Micheál Martin said it is “repugnant” that a private hospital used spare jabs to vaccinate teachers from an exclusive school.

Mr Martin said people have been prioritised to give them the “greatest level of protection”, and to reduce illness and reduce death.

“That has worked, broadly speaking, in terms of the rollout of the plan,” he added.

“It’s been effective and the impact has been quite dramatic and the HSE is overseeing an examination of what happened there.

“There are clear protocols laid down in terms of the prioritisation and the manner in which any surplus vaccines are to be used at the end of that particular vaccinated session.”

The hospital said that since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis, the hospital had assisted the national effort and had vaccinated over 9,000 HSE staff.

The hospital said that the vaccination centre had been fitted out, staffed, operated and funded by Beacon Hospital.