Dental hospital promoted chief executive's PA to role of head of IT without holding competition

All such appointments within the public sector must be advertised publicly before a recruitment process can begin. File picture

A HSE-funded dental training hospital promoted the personal assistant of its chief executive to the role of head of IT without a competition.

The Dublin Dental University Hospital, which previously spent more than €160,000 on free coffees, pastries, and other food for lunch meetings without a competitive tender, promoted the PA, who had worked directly for its chief executive for more than a decade at the time, to "information technology project manager".

It is unclear what specific industry qualifications the candidate in question possessed in terms of IT project delivery.

Queried about the 2021 appointment, a hospital spokesperson said it had commissioned an “external strategic review” of its IT department in 2021, which had subsequently recommended “a senior appointment of someone with strong project management skills and experience was required to manage the IT department for a number of years”.

Asked what qualifications the successful candidate had exhibited to secure the role, the spokesperson replied “strong project management skills, a track record of success and overall suitability to the role”.

All such appointments within the public sector must be advertised publicly before a recruitment process can begin. 

The IT manager role in question was, however, not advertised by the hospital either externally or internally.

Acknowledging no recruitment process had taken place in this instance, the spokesperson said the hospital had instead “made an internal appointment to this temporary role following the recommendation of the external strategic review”.

While that appointment had initially involved a two-year contract up to April 2023, the spokesperson said  the employment in question had been extended to allow for the completion of a number of critical IT projects "which were in progress”.

“The contract will expire in the coming months and DDUH will undertake a recruitment campaign for the permanent appointment of an IT manager,” the spokesperson added.

The PA role in question is currently remunerated at Grade 5 of the public sector scale, stretching from €50,000 to €60,000 when long-service increments are accounted for.

The head of IT post is paid at Grade 8 on the same scale, meanwhile, with a salary ranging between €79,800 and €96,300 a year, dependent upon length of service.