A trail of ‘failures’

ALMOST 50,000 women have been caught in a cervical cancer test scandal.

Up to 200 may not have been informed they had abnormal results that needed urgent follows-ups.

Last night the outsourcing responsible for the blunder branded “appalling” and “shambolic”.

Capita was attacked for failing to send out NHS letters about the women’s cervical tests.

Around 4,500 screening results letters were delayed. Between

150 and 200 of them showed abnormal results for the women.

NHS England said there was no evidence any women had been adversely affected.

The British Medical Association has written to the head of NHS England expressing “extreme concern”.

The BMA’s Dr Richard Vautrey said the situation was “frankly appalling”.

He said: “We know, because of the procedure, many patients are already reluctant to attend, and reminder letters are crucial.

“Incidents like this will hardly inspire confidence and risk even fewer women getting checked.”

He added Capita’s handling of the service had been “nothing short of shambolic” and called for the firm to be stripped of its contract. Capita blamed a “system error”. Its NHS contract is to firm was produce and send invitation, reminder and results letters to women eligible for screening. But from January to June this year, 43,200 women were sent an invitation letter or a reminder, but not both.

The intended recipients of results should have received at least one notification from a GP or screening clinic – women with abnormal results require letters from two or three sources.

Around 4.5 million women receive invitations for screening annually.

More than 900 women die every year from cervical cancer.

Just months earlier it emerged 174,000 women had not been invited for breast cancer screening. Capita wasn’t involved in that service.

In this case, those who did not receive an invitation or reminder letter have been written to. It is believed 10,000 of them have already been tested.

Capita apologised and added that the correct process for “uploading, organising and checking” had not been followed.

The seniour executive responsible for the contract has now left the company.

NHS England said that its priority was to ensure that everyone affected was contacted. SHAMED Capita in London ■ In 2014 five of eight Liverpool NHS Trusts that had contracted recruitment and payroll to Capita withdrew.

■ In 2015 the Department for Work and Pensions sent civil servants in to help process payments to the seriously ill and the disabled.

■ Capita has reportedly been stripped of a contract for MoD military estates early.

■ It is responsible for the NHS’s Primary Care Support – heavily criticised by GPs.

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