St James's Hospital struggling to meet demand since deal with staff-owned company suspended, PAC told

St James's Hospital had made use of the services of a private radiology clinic, hosted on its own campus, between 2017 and 2024 to provide a range of cancer screening services, using emergency funding apportioned by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF). That funding ceased in March 2024. File Picture:Wanderley Massafelli/RollingNews.ie

One of Dublin’s largest hospitals is struggling to meet the demands of patients since the supension of an arrangement which saw €4.7m paid out to a company owned by its own staff, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has heard.

Despite apologising that the company in question was used for cancer diagnostic services without a formal contract, executives from St James’s Hospital said the arrangement had been necessary due to the “severe pressure” it routinely comes under to provide services.