Cervical Screening Scandal – Cervical Screening Cytology Review Reports Published
By Enda McGarrity and Sarah Kirk
In October 2023 the Southern Health and Social Care Trust (SHSCT) announced that it was undertaking a precautionary review of the cervical screening results of 17,543 women screened within the Trust between 2008-2021 as part of the Northern Ireland Cervical Screening Programme.
This review follows a damning report commissioned to the Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath Consulting) on foot of significant concerns raised in relation ongoing screening underperformance issues within its cervical cytology laboratory. The Cervical Screening Cytology Review (CCR) is now complete and two key reports have been published today by the Southern Health and Social Care Trust (SHSCT) and the Public Health Agency (PHA).
The review has revealed that eight women whose smears tests were misread by Trust screeners went on to develop cancer and a further 11 women’s slides were found to have pre-cancerous cells present when they were reviewed and had to receive treatment.
Our clients are deeply concerned with the contents of the cervical screening cytology review. The review is a high-level analysis of cervical screening in Northern Ireland generally which provides little to no scrutiny of what specific errors were made, why they were made and, vitally, why they were missed for a prolonged period of time.
Our clients, backed by the tireless campaigning of the Ladies with Letters group, have long held the view that an independent statutory Inquiry is the only avenue for properly scrutinising these systemic failures that have now been accepted by the Trust. It is not possible to fully understand and analyse the true impact of these failures without placing those who have suffered most at the centre of any investigation. Read more here.
We endorse our clients Ladies with Letters and others impacted in their calls for an independent statutory Inquiry. Urgent action is required to establish the facts of how these events came to pass and to put measures in place to ensure that a recurrence does not occur which would, in turn, help to restore public confidence.
Ladies with Letters have also heard from women who have had misread smears in Healthcare Trust’s across Northern Ireland. This would suggest that the issue is much wider ranging than is suggested in the report. With recent reports highlighting screening underperformance in the Belfast Trust dating back as far as 2013, this is of particular concern as this is in the process of becoming the only cervical cancer screening laboratory in Northern Ireland. Read more here.
This report offers little comfort or clarity to our clients. They are entitled to a full and rigorous investigation. Our clients will now turn to the Health Minister Mike Nesbitt who will decide on whether to establish a statutory Inquiry. A statement that the Minister made yesterday would suggest that he will forego this decision until the outcome of an independent expert review of the Trust’s report. The full statement is available here - (Read full statement here)
We endorse our clients Ladies with Letters and others impacted in their calls for an independent statutory Inquiry to be established without further delay. Urgent action is required to establish the facts of how these events came to pass and to put measures in place to ensure that a recurrence does not occur which would, in turn, help to restore public confidence.
Contact us
If you have been impacted by the cervical screening review scandal and would like more information, reach out to our specialised inquiries team today to schedule a consultation.