WHO DECIDED NOT TO TELL WOMEN?

IT was unclear last night precisely who took the decision not to inform some women with cervical cancer that previous smear tests had incorrectly given them the all clear.

Tánaiste Simon Coveney said to the Dáil that it was standard policy for CervicalCheck not to tell patients if previous tests had wrongly suggested there was no need for concern. He said: ‘In 2014, at the time when Vicky Phelan was diagnosed, CervicalCheck initiated clinical reviews for all notified cases of cervical cancer arising from screening.

‘At that time, the information was used to inform improvements in the system and was not communicated to clinicians or to patients.’

Even when this changed in late 2016, it was up to patients’ doctors to tell them of the botched tests, rather than the patients being told directly themselves. It is unclear if this policy began back in 2008.

The Irish Daily Mail asked the HSE whether the head of CervicalCheck, the head of the HSE at the time, the head of the National Cancer Screening Service or the Director of the National Cancer Control Programme, were aware of this policy. The Mail also asked if any of the three Health Ministers during this period; James Reilly, Leo Varadkar and Simon Harris were aware.

The HSE did not respond directly to the questions. It did say that the decision to tell patients’ doctors of the false results instead of the patient was in line with international best practice.

It said: ‘The decision to communicate the outcomes of the review to treating doctors in the first instance follows UK standards on communication of cancer audit findings and is appropriate.

‘The advice to treating doctors to file the result in the notes for women who had died was made following legal advice regarding patient confidentiality and follows UK [NHS] standards on communication of cancer audit findings.’

Simon Harris said yesterday that he wasn’t aware that patients had been kept in the dark about incorrect test results.