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Updated at 7.05pm
MINISTER FOR HEALTH Simon Harris has announced the launch of a Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) statutory investigation into the CervicalCheck screening programme.
Earlier today, the HSE confirmed that 17 women whose cases were reviewed as part of an audit into the CervicalCheck controversy have died.
Additionally, the probe carried out by the HSE’s Serious Incident Management Team has found that, of the 208 cervical smear result cases being scrutinised, only 46 women were told about the history of their smear tests.
The remaining 162 of the women were not told that they may have had a delayed diagnosis and could have benefitted from earlier treatment.
In a statement this evening, Harris said the Hiqa investigation will place a “particular focus on the quality assurance systems, clinic audit processes and the communications with patients”.
“I will be asking Hiqa to identify within its terms of reference any implications that may apply to other cancer screening programmes,” Harris said.
In addition, Harris is appointing an international clinical expert panel to “provide the women concerns with an individual clinic review”.
“This clinical expert panel will also produce an overall report to inform Hiqa’s investigation and the work of the international peer review group. A liaison nurse specialist will coordinate the work of the expert panel and will identify and ensure the provision of any required support for the women involved,” Harris said.
Harris said that it is anticipated that the work of the expert group will be completed as soon as possible, adding that he intends to bring proposals to government next week to legislate for mandatory open disclosure for serious reportable events.
“It is my hope and expectation that these steps will ensure the integrity of the cervical screening programme at the same time as providing learning for all cancer screening programmes,” Harris said.
208 affected cases
A total of 208 affected cases across 13 hospitals have now been identified, an increase on the previously reported 206.
The updated figures were provided by the HSE this afternoon after the team of experts sent in to examine the cases began their work over the weekend.
This 208 refers to the number of cases where the reviewed interpretation of the smears differed from the original result.
Of these cases, it was established that 175 would have led to a “different clinical escalation” of the care provided to the women.
In the remaining 33 cases, no escalation of the women’s care would have been recommended but an earlier repeat smear test would have been needed.
Regardless of whether different care would have been recommended, the expert group had said that all 208 of the women should have been told that their smears had been reviewed, but that this did not happen.
“That’s a fundamental commitment in healthcare we must abide by. If someone comes to us for a service, they must always know information that is pertinent to them,” the HSE’s Patrick Lynch said today.
Of the 17 women who have since died, the HSE has said that their cause of death had not been established.
It was also not known which of these women were told prior to their deaths that their smear tests had been reviewed.
The HSE’s Serious Incident Management Team has said that it is not its role to establish whether the care for the women who died should have been different.
Instead, the expert group said that its role is to identify who was and wasn’t informed about the review of their smear and to ensure they are now informed about this.
It is expected that all of the affected women will be contacted either today or tomorrow and offered an appointment to speak to a clinician about these results.
Of the women who have since died, the HSE says it will inform their next-of-kin.
The HSE has also established a helpline so women can seek information themselves. This afternoon this HSE said this helpline had received over 6,000 calls, 2,000 of which came this morning.
The HSE’s CervicalCheck Freephone Information line is:
Screening
The HSE has also sought to encourage women to continue to use the CervicalCheck screening service and said that the issues being investigated do not relate to women being given an incorrect diagnosis.
Since 2008 1,482 cases of cervical cancer have been notified to the CervicalCheck, the country’s national cervical screening programme. The HSE said today that 1.16 million women have availed of the service.
In the majority of these cases there has been no requirement for further review.
The CervicalCheck scandal was brought into the public eye following a court case by the terminally-ill Vicky Phelan, who was last week awarded €2.5 million over incorrect smear test results from 2011.
Speaking today, the HSE’s director Tony O’Brien reiterated an apology to Phelan and all the women affected.
“On Friday-last I wrote to Vicky Phelan to offer an apology on behalf of the HSE, on behalf of CervicalCheck, and on a personal basis. For the circumstances in which she was not communicated with and to wish her well in her ongoing treatments,” he said.
I also want to thank Vicky for the very clear encouragement she was giving, that women should not be deterred from availing of the screening programme.
O’Brien also said today that he was aware of the full extent of Phelan’s case until he read about it in news reports.
On Saturday, CercivalCheck’s clinical director Dr Gráinne Flannelly confirmed that she was stepping down from her position.
O’Brien this afternoon paid tribute to Flannelly’s work in developing the screening programme.
With reporting by Hayley Halpin
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Last time I saw that happen was here with a BOI Insurance sponsored story. It came up late at night and in minutes all the comments lashed out at the bank. In an hour the article went away quitely in the night.
Bankers really do not know how much they are hated.
Sure what did they expect being financial terrorists and all
Financial terrorists, good one!
Freedom fighters
JP Morgan have destroyed a lot of countries in the world, greedy sons of b****es that will stop at nothing for more wealth. They are one of the 14 banks in the us that own the FEDThey own companies all over the world. There the biggest shareholders in BP, and a number of key mining and oil companies. They don’t just do banking. They are corrupt and trade inside illegially. They cause more misery in the world than some of the worst governments.
Well said ned, its been pushed by some countries and companies that the dollar should end as a world reserve currency. This would put a major obstacle in the way of JPM and the corrupt federal reserve. The dollar has been washed away to the extent its not even worth paper and the only way to keep it as a world reserve is corrupt low tactics.
They also funded the Nazis. Their major shareholders are the puppet masters.
if you’ve seen the movie “wall street” made in 1987. At the very start the first lines of the movie are “The biggest mistake we ever made was letting Nixon get off the gold standard”. This refers to 1972 when the dollar was backed by gold,
To explain after WW2, the dollar was the world currency and if you had a dollar bill the US Federal Reserve would of given you gold instead of your dollar bill if you wanted to cash it in. The Nixon shock was when france wanted to cash in the dollars they had for gold and the US FED didn’t have enough gold to give them.
The Nixon shock was when he convinced the middle east countries to trade oil for dollars only. saving the dollar and creating the petrodollar. Since then the only value dollars have are the paper there printed. the dollar is going to crashing down. like MrKnow said its only worth paper…
Russia have introduced a bill to ban dollars from use in the country. Many more countries are following suit. The dollar is dying………… But you won’t find that news on the Journal or any other irish or UK media sources.
@Dairmuid very well said, a lot of people don’t understand how the petrodollar works, when we hear about the fall of saddam and gadaffi we hear the bull that the western media feed us! But their is a way bigger story to why these leaders and their countries fell and thats why the petrodollar needs to end.
Russia and china are being slammed because of their calls for the US dollar to end as a world reserve and their (especially russia) plans to ban dollars and the depending if it to trade. They know the dollar will eventually end its domance and if economy’s around the world don’t prepare they will crash with the dollars eventual end.
China is thought to have the biggest stock of gold, they also own the biggest percentage of American dept. By all right the yen should be a world currency because they can backup their dept, don’t see why the world should suffer economic disaster because the US wants the dollar as a world reserve.
No doubt we will see more sabotage and sanctions put on countries that threaten the dollars role in the world, I suspect Russia, china and the US will enter a eco war to change things. I also think the free trade with Europe is too little too late and will impact Europe in a negative way when the dollar falls from glory.
People have different theories on this and rightfully so, thats just mine.
I love them and have shares :) they make me money and at the end of the day that’s all that matters.
JP Morgan, only outdone for cheating, manipulating and stealing, by Goldman Sachs.
A book well worth reading : Money and power : How Goldman Sachs came to rule the world.
“From the outside, Goldman Sachs is a perfect company. The Goldman PR machine loudly declares it to be smarter, more ethical, and more profitable than all of its competitors. Behind closed doors, however, ! etc, etc”
Author , William Cohen worked on Wall Street for 17 years.
JPM
S C U M of the earth
Just check out the total in fines over just the last few years, for FRAUD and market manipulation.
What did they expect ??
A group hug ?
#fail
A rake?
What’s the conversion rate for the rake? How many rakes to the pile?
Shouldnt bother interacting with the nobody keyboard warriors. Don’t interact with those beneath you they are simply inferior and worthless
Well done Kenneth posted like a real “keyboard warrior”
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