Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will ask that question of the HSE and revert to Deputy Broughan. I envisage that it is likely that Dr. Scally's report will signpost any areas identified as needing improvements, make recommendations and outline to us what further body of work needs to be done. I want to take the opportunity, on the record of the Dáil, to reiterate the point about screening not being a diagnostic tool. I am not suggesting the Deputy said it is but it is important that over the last weeks, we have all become very conscious of that. The difference between screening and diagnostic screening is important. Screening helps to save lives but it is not a diagnostic tool. I hope that we will have an opportunity shortly to work with stakeholders, whether the Irish Cancer Society, Patients' Association, the Marie Keating Foundation or our own health messaging within the health service, to take the opportunity to promote screening but also to explain and communicate to our public what screening is and is not. As part of its work, the HSE serious incident management team, SIMT, has examined whether a formal audit process as carried out by the CervicalCheck programme exists in BreastCheck or BowelScreen. The examination by the SIMT found that there is no comparable formal audit process in place with either BreastCheck or BowelScreen but we have asked Dr. Scally to look at all these matters.

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