Dr. Colm Henry:

In international screening systems, interval cancer rate is often measured because there are population-based screening programmes. For example, our own breast screening programme has an interval cancer rate which compares very favourably internationally. The events of last year and Dr. Scally's report showed and characterised the existing audit as flawed in design, implementation and the way in which it engaged with clinicians. Following the publication of the Scally report, we committed to design, and are well advanced in designing, interval cancer audit for all three cancer screening programmes. We have expert groups led by independent chairs. We are scoping out international best practice. For example, in Canada, all audit or quality assurance clinical activities are protected in legislation while, in England and Wales, a duty of candour legislation was introduced in 2014 making it almost unique in bringing in not only open disclosure with regard to certain elements of false negativity.

We do not want to just reintroduce what was characterised as a flawed audit. The works of these three groups is coming to a conclusion. Input into that work came not only from international experts but from patient representative and advocacy groups and I am confident we will have an output from those groups towards the end of this year.