HSE agrees to independent review of cancer test error

THE Health Service Executive (HSE) has caved into the demands of a Limerick woman for an independent review of the circumstances which led to her being wrongly given the all-clear for breast cancer.

HSE chief Prof Brendan Drumm is expected to officially announce today that he will be inviting HIQA, the new independent body responsible for monitoring safety standards in the health service, to undertake the independent review.

The development follows a phone call from Prof Drumm to Rebecca O’Malley yesterday.

During the conversation, Ms O’Malley, 41, who had a mastectomy 14 months after being given the all-clear for cancer, discussed with Prof Drumm her views on the investigations required into the error which led to her misdiagnosis.

Ms O’Malley’s husband, Tony, described it as “an open and frank discussion”.

Mr O’Malley said his wife appreciated “all and any contact that may help her achieve her objectives”.

It is understood Prof Drumm made the decision to acquiesce to Ms O’Malley’s requests for an independent review after studying the sequence of events which led to her misdiagnosis. It is believed he felt an independent review was the only fair way to proceed.

It was unclear last night whether the involvement of HIQA (the Health Information and Quality Authority) would put an end to the involvement of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI). The RCPI’s faculty of pathology had been requested by the HSE to undertake an audit of Ms O’Malley’s case, following the case of human error in the diagnosis of her fine needle aspiration breast biopsy. Ms O’Malley, from Killaloe in Co Clare, was given an incorrect report which indicated a breast lump was benign after a biopsy carried out at Cork University Hospital in 2005. A re-examination of that biopsy, on foot of a cancer diagnosis in 2006, revealed the error.

A report carried out by CUH into how the error occurred blamed a consultant pathologist who now works abroad. The entire caseload of that pathologist is to be reviewed. It is not yet know how many biopsies this will involve, but it is expected to be far greater than the 28 cases originally mentioned.

Two HSE helplines have been set up for women who had fine needle aspiration breast biopsy samples analysed at CUH. The numbers are CUH 1800-742800 or Limerick 061-482796.