CervicalCheck delays return to carrying out cancer test reviews

CERVICALCHECK, which has stopped auditing the screening test results of women after they are diagnosed with cervical cancer, will not resume the practice until a new system of review is in place, Health Minister Simon Harris said yesterday.

The process will remain stalled for now, the Dáil was told.

An audit looks at a woman’s slides to try to find out if the last screening test gave a wrong result. It would re-examine them to investigate if abnormalities were missed before she went on to develop cancer. Many women outside the 221 who are at the centre of the controversy have been left in limbo after Cervical- Check decided to suspend audits pending the report of

Dr Gabriel Scally.

Mr Harris told the Dáil that a new system of audit, with input from patients, had been recommended by Dr Scally and no such lookbacks will resume until this is in place.

Speaking at a debate on the Scally report, Mr Harris said Dr Scally was clear the laboratories currently involved in screening for CervicalCheck are safe.

He said “the scandal was the non-disclosure” of audits to most of the 221 women, including the relatives of the 18 women who died, showing they previously received a wrong test result.

He confirmed HPV testing will not be introduced in labs until next year.

An implementation plan for Dr Scally’s 50 recommendations will be ready in December. However, Opposition TDs warned more investigations are needed and suggested the Health Information and Quality Authority may have a role to play.

Mr Harris said Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is overseeing the investigation into the leaking of part of the report which, he said, was “absolutely cruel”.