Cork University Hospital ‘aware’ of breast service issues

Management at Cork University Hospital (CUH) has admitted being aware “for some time” of issues relating to the delivery of its Symptomatic Breast Service.

In a statement, the hospital said it was “working with the breast team to address those issues that will result in further improvements to the service”.

The statement said that the executive management board, chaired by hospital CEO Tony McNamara, had asked the directors of cancer care and surgery “to follow up with the breast team” and “report back to the board within one month”.

The statement was issued after RTÉ reported on correspondence between the breast multidisciplinary team and Mr McNamara, where clinicians indicated a high level of dissatisfaction with resources.

The letter, sent on behalf of consultant surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, oncologists, and radiographers, said the workload at the unit had increased but resources had decreased significantly.

It warned that delays in accessing bone scans were “resulting in ongoing delays in initiating treatment for our cancer patients”.

The letter outlined how the unit is receiving up to 160 referrals a week, even though its maximum capacity is 140 new patients per week. It said a record 50 referrals were made to the unit recently in a single day.

Clinicians also complained about reduced staff, unfilled posts, and ageing equipment and that “the breast team feels demoralised”.

Correspondence from Mr McNamara is critical of the service. In a letter to the executive board, dated October 1, Mr McNamara said there was inconsistency in the organisation, administration, and clinical governance of the breast service and that it cannot continue.

However, the clinicians said: “No reasonable assessment of a scenario whereby there is a huge increase in numbers of patients being assessed with decreased resources could regard this as under-performance.”

They described a deteriorating relationship between management and clinical staff at the breast centre and an “atmosphere of isolation, suspicion and lack of trust, along with poor communication”.

The clinicians said that an external review could be of merit.

The hospital said it had invested significantly in the breast care team, with the support of the National Cancer Control Programme.

It also said that the South/South West Hospital Group is establishing a steering group with representatives from each of the cancer sites “with the objective of providing a unified approach to the planning and delivery of cancer services across the region”.