A multi-million-euro contract awarded to a Dublin agency to supply nurses to all the major hospitals in the eastern region for a 12-month period was yesterday rescinded within weeks of it being agreed.
The Irish Times has learned that serious concerns arose about the awarding of the contract, worth over €20 million, to a company called Medical Personnel Ltd once it emerged that one of the company's directors had been convicted of a sexual assault.
However, this fact did not come to the attention of the Dublin Academic Teaching Hospitals or the three area health boards in the eastern region, which were to be supplied with nurses under the terms of the contract, until after the contract was signed.
The directors of Medical Personnel Ltd are Mr Adrian Hannigan (32), of Castlegate, Castle Street, Dublin , and his brother, Mr Brendan Hannigan (33), with the same address.
Mr Adrian Hannigan was sentenced to 2½ years' imprisonment in July 2002 for a sexual assault on a woman, and the sentence was suspended on him entering a bond to be of good behaviour and on condition that he paid €30,000 compensation to his victim. The case was heard at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
The contract to Medical Personnel Ltd was to provide agency nurses from April 1st next to the DATHs (Dublin Area Teaching Hospitals) which include Tallaght, St Vincent's, St James's, Beaumont and the Mater, and health board hospitals in the East Coast, South Western and Northern Area Health Board areas. These include Naas General Hospital, St Columcille's Hospital in Loughlinstown and James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown.
Yesterday a spokesman for the group of hospitals which awarded the contract confirmed the arrangement was not going to proceed. This had been mutually agreed, he said. Intensive behind-the-scenes efforts were made in recent days to try to get Medical Personnel Ltd to withdraw from the contract.
The following statement was issued last night by the project group which awarded the contract on behalf of the hospitals: "A contract was awarded to Medical Personnel Ltd to source agency nurses for the five Dublin Academic Teaching Hospitals (DATHs) and the three Area Health Boards from April 2004. By mutual agreement of the parties, the contract is not going to proceed.
"In light of this decision, the DATHs and the three Area Health Boards will carry out a review of their requirements and assess all options, including re-tendering."
Mr Adrian Hannigan, when contacted, said he did not wish to comment. Apart from concerns about Mr Adrian Hannigan's conviction, concerns had also been raised by other nursing agencies about the awarding of the contract.
This is the first time one agency has been awarded a contract to provide nurses to all the main hospitals in the eastern region.