Dr. Stephanie O'Keeffe:

They had no responsibility for the actual content of the letter. The hospital managers would have been made aware of the audit process and of the requirement to consult clinicians to disclose the information to patients through the memorandum of understanding that the CervicalCheck programme had with the hospitals. They would have had a memorandum of understanding with each of the 15 colposcopy units. In that process, the hospital managers would have signed it. As I understand it, there would have been a sub-clause underneath that would have stated what could be done if there were a duty of care. We received a copy of the memorandum of understanding, and that has made its way to the committee. It would not have been something I would have looked at when I was the national director of health and well-being. I refer to looking at a memorandum of understanding between the CervicalCheck programme and its 15 colposcopy units. There is a whole range of memorandums of understanding, between BowelScreen-----