Terms of breast cancer inquiry announced

THE state’s health service watchdog yesterday outlined the purpose and structure of its investigation into the quality and safety of patient care at Ennis General Hospital.

The Health Information and Quality Authority’s (HIQA) independent inquiry was ordered after it was revealed that two women died after being wrongly given the all-clear for breast cancer at the hospital.

HIQA’s decision to conduct the inquiry followed a meeting of its board and a request from Health Minister Mary Harney on September 24.

The families of the late Ann Moriarty, 53, and Edel Kelly, 26, who died earlier this year after being misdiagnosed at Ennis General Hospital have welcomed the independent review of services at the hospital.

Karl Henry, whose wife, Ann Moriarty, died earlier this year from metastatic breast cancer, said he approved of the terms of reference of the HIQA investigation. Mr Henry said he hoped the recommendations that would follow from the inquiry would lead to a better quality of care and improved patient safety at Ennis General Hospital.

“I expect that many of the lessons learned will also be applicable to other hospitals across the country,” he said.

HIQA is to establish if safe, quality services are in place in Ennis and, if risks to patients are identified, recommendations will be made to address them.

The authority said national recommendations on wider services will also be made where appropriate.

HIQA chief executive Dr Tracey Cooper said: “The investigation team will review the arrangements for providing safe, quality clinical care which will include how the hospital focuses on the needs of patients, the management and leadership at the hospital.”

Systems and processes that support safety and quality, and the communication between staff and patients, particularly when patient safety incidents occurred and when complaints were made, would also be examined, she said.

Mr Henry said he expected the final report would provide him with the much needed answers to the many questions he had relating to his wife’s care and how his complaints were dealt with within the HSE at local and corporate level.

Mr Henry pointed out that issues surrounding the care his wife received in St James’s Hospital in Dublin were excluded from the investigation and he was considering how best to pursue what he termed as “these serious matters”.

HIQA’s investigation team will take three months to conduct its inquiries, after which it will prepare its report that will be published, after it is approved by the authority.

Meanwhile, Dr Niall Ó Cléirigh, a member of the Irish College of General Practitioners, said there had been a “low key” response to the offer of breast cancer re-checks. A week ago, Ms Harney urged all women frightened that they might have been wrongly given the all-clear in breast cancer clinics over the past two years to see their GP.

The HSE said yesterday it was satisfied that the number of women being referred on for re-testing was “manageable”.