Patients say oversight crucial for hospitals

PATIENTS groups last night called for the urgent establishment of improved quality control systems for hospitals after the second announcement in two days that breast cancer services at two separate facilities have been suspended.

Diagnostic services at the private Barrington’s Hospital in Limerick and the public Midland Regional Hospital in Portlaoise have both been put on hold while patients’ files are checked for possible mistakes in test results.

The Irish Cancer Society (ICS) said two sets of guidelines had been drawn up for handling suspected breast cancer cases, in 2000 and again earlier this year, but hospitals and the Health Service Executive (HSE) had largely failed to act on them.