Donnelly urged to ensure country's only cervical screening lab resumes testing

The National Cervical Screening Laboratory  is being developed by the HSE and the Coombe and 'is expected to be operating by year-end'

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has been urged to ensure Ireland’s only cervical screening lab urgently resumes testing in the wake of Lynsey Bennett’s death.

The HSE has confirmed the lab at the Coombe hospital that processes CervicalCheck tests is not back in operation and has blamed staff shortages and the cyberattack last December for the delay.

Sinn Féin health spokesperson David Cullinane said it was unacceptable that the HSE was putting delays down to the cyberattack despite the restoration of connectivity.

Fiona Murphy, chief executive of National Screening Services at the HSE said: “The Coombe laboratory is not currently processing cervical screening samples. However, CervicalCheck and the Coombe are working closely towards an early resumption date which is dependent on the resolution of staffing issues and meeting certain quality standards.”

She confirmed tests continued to be sent to Quest Diagnostics, a US lab where they perform HPV primary testing with reflex cytology.

The US lab is expected to continue to examine Irish tests even after a national centre of excellence for cervical screening is opened here.

The National Cervical Screening Laboratory is being developed by the HSE and the Coombe and “is expected to be operating by year-end".

It was initially expected to be in operation in quarter three of this year but has been delayed.

Concerns have previously been raised about a difficulty in recruiting cytopathology staff, namely consultant cytopathologists.

Mr Cullinane said the HSE in the short-term should try to recruit people with the expertise from outside of Ireland.

He said Mr Donnelly needed to expedite the workings of the lab as a priority. He said it was a clear commitment given to the women of Ireland following the CervicalCheck controversy.

He said: “Significant money has been invested in the Coombe site. Obviously, when it’s up and running it means we’ll have a first-class facility here but the fact that it’s delayed, that there are staffing issues, that we’re still blaming the cyberattack, a year on is ridiculous.

The minister needs to set out why that’s the case, why it's taking so long, what are the staffing issues that seem to be holding this back.”

Co-leader of the Social Democrats Catherine Murphy said Mr Donnelly needed to satisfy himself as to why there are significant staffing issues.

She said: “I feel we’re drifting here with this and somebody needs to take a grip on it and the buck stops with the minister. We can’t continue to get the same excuses over and over and he needs to get absolute assurances that everything is being done to ensure the lab is back testing.

“One of the things you’d expect from the legacy of this terrible disaster for so many people would have been that we have a system that we can absolutely rely on."

Labour TD Alan Kelly said he dealt with the late Lynsey Bennett, who was a “courageous woman and leaves behind two young daughters and a devastated family".

He said: “That, with a number of other cases should really refocus the Department of Health and the HSE that this is of utmost priority.”

Mr Donnelly was contacted for comment.