Review of Wexford colonoscopies to take six months, says Tánaiste

An external review of the management of colonoscopy screening services at Wexford General Hospital is expected to take six months, according to Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald.

She told the Dáil the review would take place to see what further lessons could be learned following the discovery that 13 cancer cases at the hospital were “probably missed” in screening by a consultant, identified as clinician Y, when 615 patients were recalled.

The consultant, who does not accept the findings of the review, has been on leave for the past two years since the issue was uncovered. The 13 patients’ families were informed on Wednesday of the misdiagnoses. One of the patients died before the review process started.

Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald, who raised the issue in the Dáil, said that while human error was always possible “missed diagnosis on this scale reveals potential systemic and institutionalised problems concerning bowel screening in a hospital serving much of the southeast.”

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She said the public wanted to know why it took so long to rectify and recognise the issues involved and “above all they want to know who is responsible”.

Ms Fitzgerald referred to Ms McDonald’s comments about a systemic issue but said “it is important to note that the HSE related these events to the practice of a single clinician”.

She said the review would look at how the incident was identified and managed, and would include recommendations about governance, accountability and authority at each level involved.

The Tánaiste appealed to people to take up the BowelScreen screening programme and pointed out that bowel cancer was the second-most common newly diagnosed cancer and the second-most common cause of cancer death in Ireland. She said “the uptake of the bowel-screening programme offered to individuals is not what it should be”.

Ms Fitzgerald said there had been action within the hospital and by the HSE “and we will also have an external review in line with good practice”. She said open disclosure in the way this issue had been dealt with “is new and to be welcomed”.

Failed screenings

Later Fianna Fáil Wexford TD James Browne asked why so many failed screenings were carried out before the issue was identified. "The large number would point to systemic failures as well as human error."

Mr Browne said the review should be extended beyond the individual decisions of the clinician concerned. “It is clear there has been a serious lapse in proper healthcare.”

Independent Wexford TD Mick Wallace said the HSE's lack of accountability was "shocking" and that the cases only came to light externally.

He pointed out that the clinician was appointed by the HSE and was on the specialist register of the Medical Council. Mr Wallace said that nowhere in the report published on Thursday did the management team discuss the recruitment process. “Who recruited this consultant? Who provided references? Where did clinician Y operate before operating in Wexford? If clinician Y carried out screenings in other hospitals before being recruited to Wexford what checks have been carried out in those hospitals?”