CervicalCheck

'I'm happy to do it' - Taoiseach willing to make official apology to women affected by CervicalCheck scandal

The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said he is "very happy" to offer a full apology to women affected by the CervicalCheck.scandal.

Accreditation board unaware of lab’s existence until inquiry

The Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB) has defended its decision to retrospectively accredit a laboratory that it did not even know existed was operational for an extended period of time.

Women have been let down and should have reassurance

It’s hard not to get tired and emotional while raking over the Dáil debates of the Noughties when screening failures and smear test backlogs were also making waves.

CervicalCheck: Taoiseach open to establishing no-fault compensation scheme

The Taoiseach has said he is open to establishing a no-fault compensation scheme for the women impacted by the CervicalCheck scandal.

Scally report recommendations must be implemented, says Lorraine Walsh

Cervical cancer campaigner Lorraine Walsh has said that it is crucial that the recommendations on quality assurance made by Dr Gabriel Scally in his second report must be implemented.

Scally hits out at financial barrier to finding truth

The man tasked with examining the failings of CervicalCheck has criticised the current system for responding to errors in screening as “inadequate”.

CervicalCheck families still seek apology

The women and families impacted by the CervicalCheck scandal say they are still awaiting an apology from the State a year after the scandal broke.

Fears over Manchester lab in 90,000 cervical checks

An unaccredited Manchester laboratory that screened more than 90,000 smears without the knowledge or approval of CervicalCheck should be the focus of an ongoing expert review of the screening history of women with cervical cancer, patient representatives have said.

Government accused of exploiting patient advocates

Gabriel Scally has hit out at the Government for “exploiting” patient advocates who give up their time to help improve and transform the health sector.

Families want to know labs where mistakes were made: Stephen Teap on Scally Report

A second report by Dr Gabriel Scally into the testing controversy has found further outsourcing of slides, which neither the HSE nor the national cancer screening programme was aware of.

Scally report on smear tests published today

A report examining the scale of outsourcing of smear tests by laboratories contracted to do the work by the HSE will be brought to the Cabinet today.

CervicalCheck: HSE to introduce HPV screening following new deal with US laboratory

It follows weeks of uncertainty, with slides put into storage as there were no labs to process them.

Vicky Phelan announces name of her memoir

Vicky Phelan has revealed the name of her upcoming book.

Vicky Phelan: Tragic accident from youth shaped who I am today

Cervical cancer campaigner Vicky Phelan has described how being in a car accident when she was a teenager - in which her then-boyfriend and two others were killed - helped give her the strength she needed to stand up for those affected by the CervicalCheck scandal.

72,000 women still waiting for CervicalCheck smear-test results

The HSE's new director-general, Paul Reid, is facing questions about the issue at an Oireachtas health committee meeting today.

Simon Harris to raise concerns about impact of CervicalCheck ruling by High Court

The HSE has raised concerns about the impact of the recent High Court ruling on the state of the CervicalCheck scheme, Health Minister Simon Harris will say tomorrow.

'We had no input': Cervical cancer patient criticises Department of Health over payment scheme

Cervical cancer patient and campaigner Lorraine Walsh has criticised the Department of Health for not involving patient representatives in the planning stages of the ex gratia payment scheme announced in March.

Patient anger at cancer scandal offer

The interim head of screening at the National Screening Service has written to women caught up in the CervicalCheck scandal outlining what they can expect if they sign up to an ex gratia scheme — but patient representatives said the main reaction was one of disappointment.

Letter to the Editor: Affirming the integrity of cervical screening

The ethical justification for a rule requiring a cytologist, who is examining a slide in the course of screening for cervical cancer, to have full confidence that cells on that slide are neither cancerous nor potentially cancerous before reporting the cells as negative for disease, is the paramount importance of protecting women using the cervical screening service from the disastrous — even fatal — consequences of allowing the presence of such cancerous, or potentially cancerous, cells to go unreported.

Call for ‘calm’ over screening programmes

Screening programmes should not be paused, the health minister has said, after several professional medical bodies warned their viability was under threat in the wake of a recent landmark High Court judgment.

Ruth Morrissey solicitor describes doctor's comments as 'vindictive' as US lab reveal they will appeal award

Cian O’Carroll, the solicitor for Ruth Morrissey, has described comments by Dr Peter McKenna of the HSE about the possibility of the withdrawal of screening programmes, as “vindictive.”

Attorney General examining impact of CervicalCheck judgements on HSE

The Attorney General is examining whether recent High Court judgements on CervicalCheck will have a wider impact on the HSE.

Fears Ruth Morrissey judgment could have a negative impact

Concerns have been raised in medical and legal circles that a High Court judgment in the case of a terminally ill woman could ultimately have a negative impact on patient care and in the delivery of screening programmes.

Ruth Morrissey determined not to be defeated by cancer after 'relief' of landmark case win

"You have to have that positive mind frame because, if you don't, you'll give up and you're going to let it win, and by God, I'm not going to let it win."

Ruth Morrissey court battle: ‘Spare victims my court ordeal’

Victims of the CervicalCheck scandal are pleading for other women to be spared the ordeal that a terminally-ill cancer patient was put through, to win her landmark compensation case.

Stephen Teap welcomes 'great justice' for Ruth Morrissey but calls on Taoiseach to change 'adversarial process'

Cervical cancer campaigner Stephen Teap is calling on the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to see if there is any way the State can step in and streamline the process under which cervical cancer victims have to take legal proceedings.

Tribunal into the cervical cancer tests to be fast-tracked

Health Minister Simon Harris has formally asked opposition parties to allow the bill establishing the tribunal to be sped through the Oireachtas just days after the cabinet agreed on the details of the plan.

Woman who should have had repeat smear test in February only found out last week

A woman who should have had a repeat cervical screening test in February after a smear last October couldn’t be read, only found out a week ago that she needs a retest.

Phelan: No capacity to resolve screening delays

Campaigner Vicky Phelan has hit out at lengthy delays in the cervical screening process as “unacceptable”.

Tribunal open to those in CervicalCheck scandal

Terms for a tribunal to hear and determine claims from women and families caught up in the CervicalCheck scandal have been agreed by government.

Simon Harris: Warning about free smear tests had 'nothing new in it' and email was not passed on

A blunt warning from the National Screening Service (NSS) to the health minister about the significant risks that would arise from offering free out-of-cycle smear tests had “nothing new in it” and was not passed on to him at the time, Simon Harris has told the health committee.

Health minister's 'story' on repeat smear tests has shifted, Opposition claim

The government is facing further questions over how Health Minister Simon Harris' story has “shifted” around advice he received over offering women free repeat smear tests.

Health Minister suggests criticism of smear test rollout is ‘politically motivated’

‘It’s disappointing that some people are choosing to play party politics with such an important issue in women’s health’, he said.

Opposition 'crass' for playing party politics with women's health, says Harris

Health Minister Simon Harris says his decision to offer free smear test re-checks was consistent with advice he was given by senior civil servants.

Harris messages reveal smear test turmoil

The commotion around a helpline that didn’t work; a distrust of the HSE’s ability to supply reliable data; and a preoccupation with media coverage of the CervicalCheck crisis are themes in a series of revealing texts between the health minister and his most senior adviser (the texts have been obtained through Freedom of Information).

Struggle to cope with cervical smear test crisis revealed

As the health service was engulfed by the scandal over the CervicalCheck screening programme, top medics and officials wanted that there wasn’t capacity to deal with the crisis while also maintaining the service’s normal operation, writes Health Correspondent Catherine Shanahan.

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Saturday, June 15, 2019