HSE fails to audit on protecting patients from X-rays

THE Health Service Executive (HSE) has breached regulations designed to protect patients and practitioners from radiological exposure by failing to meet the deadline to audit its own radiological installations.

Under a European directive transposed into Irish law in October 2002, the first clinical audit of all radiological equipment, including that used in mammography, should have taken place two months ago.

Instead, a questionnaire is today being sent out to all public hospitals to effectively self-audit their own diagnostic radiology equipment.