HSE knew of glitch leading to smear test result delay

The HSE has known since February of an IT glitch that led to delayed smear test results for 800 women — but mistakenly believed that the laboratory processing the tests was communicating the results manually.

That is according to Peter McKenna, clinical director of the HSE’s Women and Infants’ Health Programme, who fended off talk of a lack of transparency, saying “elements” of the issue only emerged in the past 10 days.