Communications breakdown added to Rebecca’s trauma

A BREAKDOWN in communication between two hospitals added to the trauma of a woman wrongly given the all-clear for breast cancer.

Rebecca O’Malley, 41, from Killaloe, Co Clare, was told in 2005 that a lump in her breast was benign, following analysis of a biopsy at Cork University Hospital.

A little more than a year later she was told she had cancer after a second biopsy. The initial biopsy was then re-examined and also tested positive for cancer. On foot of the error, Mark Sparling, the acting general manager of the Mid-West Regional Hospital in Limerick, where Ms O’Malley’s consultant was based, wrote to the Cork hospital asking that it carry out an internal review of cytology reports around the period the misdiagnosis was made.

Mr Sparling wrote on three further occasions, on Ms O’Malley’s behalf to the hospital's general manager Tony McNamara, raising her concerns, and her additional request that an external independent review take place rather than an internal review.

On April 3, Mark Sparling wrote to Tony McNamara: “Ms O’Malley is aware that the carcinoma had been present from some time. She has concerns as to why the diagnosis was missed and what is being done to ensure it does not happen to other patients. In the meantime Cork University Hospital may consider it prudent to conduct its own internal review of the cytology reports from that period. I would appreciate your response to the concerns raised by Ms O’Malley at your earliest possible convenience.”

A week later, Mr McNamara, replied: “I wish to acknowledge receipt of your letter” and “I have forwarded your correspondence to Ms Mary Gilmartin, risk manager, for her to follow up on the issues raised and to revert directly to you on the matter.”

Three more letters then issued from Mr Sparling on April 14 and 24 and May 11, requesting the external review. Ms O’Malley believed no reply was ever received to these, compounding her anxiety, but yesterday Mr McNamara said on May 8, he had written to Mary Culliton, the Health Service Executive head of complaints, (and again to Mark Sparling) seeking clarification on what the next phase of action was after finalising the internal review.

Mr Sparling does not appear to have received this letter.

Ms O’Malley remains under the impression that her repeated requests for clarification on action the Cork hospital is taking to prevent what happened to her from happening again, is being ignored.

Time line of failure

March 2005: After going to her GP with concerns about breast cancer, Rebecca is sent for a fine-needle biopsy.

March 22, 2005: CUH lab results returned as benign.

April 2006: Rebecca goes to her GP with bronchitis but informs him of ongoing chest pain. Sent for more tests.

June 2006: has her second fine-needle biopsy in Limerick. The samples sent to London and come back positive.

June 2006: Scared the cancer has spread, Rebecca flies to London for a full mastectomy.

July-December 2006: undergoes course of chemotherapy to combat the cancer.

December 2006: has further surgery when lymph nodes under her arm are detected as cancerous.

January-April 2007: consultant seeks a review of her original biopsy. It comes from Cork indicating signs of malignancy.

April 2007: agrees not to go public, if Cork hospital issues an independent inquiry into failure to diagnose and explain to her family what happened.

May 2007: goes public after the HSE and Cork fail to respond.