Cancer tests sent to UK laboratory with Dublin centre beset by problems
■ Move follows external investigation at Crumlin hospital
CANCER tests for some adult patients are having to be sent from Dublin to a UK laboratory following an investigation.
The external probe was carried out into the National Centre for Medical Genetics at Our Lady’s Hospital in Crumlin, Dublin.
The centre provides a range of services for adults and children, including tests to see if they are carriers of genes which put them at higher risk of developing a condition such as cancer.
It was confirmed yesterday that on foot of the investigation, cytogenetic tests for adult patients with the bone marrow cancer multiple myeloma will have to be sent to an NHS laboratory in Sheffield.
The test helps the patient’s cancer specialist to decide on the best kind of treatment they should use.
A spokeswoman for Crumlin said the test is carried out after the patient has been diagnosed with cancer and would not affect children as it is an adult condition.
“The test will be outsourced to Sheffield Diagnostic Genetics Service, Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. The Sheffield service delivers firstclass genetic analysis services to the UK and internationally for a wide variety of inherited and acquired genetic disorders.”
The laboratory holds full accreditation and is a member of the UK Genetic Testing Network, she added.
However, the outsourcing of testing to laboratories abroad has already been strongly criticised during the CervicalCheck scandal, with facilities in the United States being used.
The Crumlin centre has been beset with problems for several years including lack of staff .
A patient referred to a genetic consultant or a counsellor can wait for up to two years although urgent cases are seen as soon as is possible.
A report commissioned by the HSE’s cancer section found evidence of “high risk” of a serious clinical error unless an overhaul was carried out.
Weaknesses included concerns about leadership and governance, as well as delays in the turnaround times for some tests.
Testing
It also called for an upgrading of equipment to cover the cytogenetic testing for patients with multiple myeloma.
The findings of these tests can impact on a patient’s prognosis and also help in the diagnosis of a small number of cancers.
Yesterday, the hospital said that it has taken the decision to bring in an external team to help in making improvements to how it is run.
The investigation also called for the need for the laboratory to achieve accreditation and a need to communicate better with patients using the service.
Asked if any cases of misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis had been found, the hospital spokeswoman said that “if any patient safety issues are identified during the implementation of the improvements, the hospital will contact patients directly”.
A previous internal report by the centre warned that the clinical service was deeply under-resourced, with only 15-20pc of the staffing levels of other European genetics centres serving a similar population.
There were examples of samples being sent abroad at a cost of €1m when it could be tested at the Dublin centre at a lower cost.
A hospital spokeswoman said that once samples arrive at the lab, testing commences. The delays relate to turnaround times of the tests, she added.