Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank both Deputies for raising the issue and, again, pass on the apologies of the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, for not being here.

First, I acknowledge the anxiety and distress for the patients concerned in this programme and extend my sincere sympathy to the family of the patient who, unfortunately, died before the HSE review commenced.

I welcome today's publication of the report by the HSE which identifies 13 cases of probable missed cancers in patients who had undergone a colonoscopy at Wexford General Hospital under the national bowel screening programme known as BowelScreen. When the first two cases were identified, work was undertaken by the HSE’s serious incident management team and the BowelScreen programme to investigate this fully. Following the HSE audit, 615 patients were recalled for either a repeat colonoscopy or an outpatient appointment. This work led to the identification of an additional 11 probable missed cancers.

The Minister for Health has been aware of the incident and has received regular briefs on the progress of the review. The report outlines the look-back process and the actions taken by the HSE and the HSE has related these events to the practice of a single clinician. The matter has been referred to the Medical Council. I am informed that all patients and families involved have been contacted and all had open disclosure and have since been provided with the appropriate support and treatment. The full report was made available this morning on the HSE website.

Since the Wexford General Hospital incident, BowelScreen has reviewed its quality assurance procedures to ensure that all units and individuals delivering colonoscopy services on behalf of BowelScreen are doing so at the highest possible standard. All BowelScreen services are provided in internationally accredited centres. Wexford General Hospital has introduced a number of new patient safety measures across all hospital services, including the appointment of a clinical risk and quality manager.

We should remember that bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in Ireland and approximately 2,500 people are diagnosed each year. Screening is the most effective way to detect bowel cancer, including pre-cancerous changes. The BowelScreen programme provides a valuable service and 517 cancers have been detected since its initiation in 2012.

In line with good practice, an external review is due to commence immediately to see what further lessons can be learned. It will consider how the incident was identified, escalated and managed and will include recommendations pertaining to governance, accountability and authority at each level involved. The review is expected to take six months to complete and it will ensure that all lessons from the incident in Wexford General Hospital are embedded in the overall health system as quickly as possible.

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