HSE still unaware if women know test results

By Catherine Shanahan and Elaine Loughlin

The HSE was still working last night to establish if all 52 women who tested positive for a virus that increases the risk of cancer have been made aware of their results.

It emerged on Tuesday that only 26 of the 52 women had been referred on for further investigation after results were posted to their GPs in February. What happened in the case of the other 26 was unclear.

Patient advocate Stephen Teap, who attended a meeting of the CervicalCheck steering committee yesterday, said the HSE was continuing to follow up in relation to the other 26 women and hoped to know by the end of this week.

“They need to confirm that all of the women got their results,” Mr Teap said.

In a statement last night, the HSE said it is confirming with the remainder of these GPs that their patients’ results have been discussed fully with them.

Mr Teap, one of two patient representatives on the steering committee representing women and families affected by the CervicalCheck scandal, has also called for the contents of a letter from the national screening service to the Department of Health on June 25 to be published.

This is to establish what the department knew about an IT glitch at the US lab processing smear tests prior to a meeting of the steering committee on June 26, when the matter was not mentioned to patient representatives.

The IT glitch led to delayed results in the cases of 856 women, which includes the 52 women who were retested for the human papillomavirus (HPV) and whose results were positive second time around, having been negative the first time.

The HSE said these women’s clinical risk was low.

The GPs of these women were written to in February, but the HSE was still working last night to see if all 52 had been informed of the results.

The department initially stated that it found out about the IT glitch that led to delayed test results on July 10, but has since said it found out on June 25.

Mr Teap said he had asked to see the CervicalCheck letter at yesterday’s committee meeting, but his request was denied.

“We asked: ‘Can you show us?’ and the answer was: ‘No we can’t’,” Mr Teap said.

“We need to find out who knew what and when,” he said.

Mr Teap said yesterday’s meeting provided no great clarity in that respect.

“The problem is the information that they are not telling us and that’s what I want the review to drag out,” he said.

“Clearly there was a massive communication breakdown.”

The review into the controversy, ordered by new HSE chief Paul Reid is being chaired by Professor Brian MacCraith.

Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the latest IT glitch “shouldn’t have happened” and the patient reps should have been informed by the HSE at a much earlier stage.

Mr Varadkar said he will apologise to the women and their families in the Dáil, but wants to ensure that the format and content are correct.

“There have been a number of apologies already, what I have asked Minister Harris to do is to engage with the 221 group on the format and content of that apology.

“I don’t want to give an apology in the Dáil which then seems to be inadequate and there have already been apologies in the Dáil.

“I understand from Simon that there has been some initial engagement on it but it hasn’t been finalised as of yet,” he told RTÉ Radio’s Today With Sean O’Rourke programme.