Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 95: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she has received correspondence from a person (details supplied) regarding cancer services at Sligo General Hospital; her views on the issues raised; the steps she will take to address these issues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24146/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context

A letter has been received in my Department from the individual referred to by the Deputy. My officials are in discussion with relevant parties regarding the specific points made on survival rates and I will respond in detail to these shortly, when I have the necessary information.

There has been very strong support for the concept of a specialist centre where a woman can be guaranteed that her initial diagnosis and treatment will be managed by a multidisciplinary team, which should predict complications and be familiar with all relevant investigations and treatment for the disease. Women attending the centres will know that they are in the hands of highly-skilled consultants and nurses who have access to all the resources necessary to achieve the best results possible in terms of survival rates.

Based on the National Quality Assurance Standards for Symptomatic Breast Disease Services, and the fact that the BreastCheck screening programme will significantly reduce the number of symptomatic breast cancer presentations, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has designated eight specialist breast cancer centres nationally. The National Cancer Control Programme has identified University College Hospital Galway (UCHG) as one of the designated specialist cancer centres for the Western region. The Programme therefore will consolidate symptomatic breast cancer services in UCHG. This involves a transfer of the Sligo symptomatic breast service to UCHG.

In order to comply with the Standards, the HSE has directed seventeen hospitals to cease breast cancer services. Further staged reductions in the number of hospitals providing breast cancer services, including Sligo General Hospital, will occur over the next eighteen months in line with the development of quality assured capacity in the eight designated centres.

The designation of cancer centres aims to ensure that patients receive the highest quality care while at the same time allowing local access to services, where appropriate. Where diagnosis and treatment planning is directed and managed by multi-disciplinary teams based at the cancer centres, then much of the treatment (other than surgery) can be delivered in local hospitals, such as Sligo General Hospital. In this context, chemotherapy and support services will continue to be delivered locally.

I have full confidence in the service that BreastCheck provides. The National Breast Screening Programme provides a high quality screening service and the aim of the Programme is to reduce mortality in women between 50 — 64 years by at least 20 per cent over a decade.

The BreastCheck Programme is subject to ongoing audit and review on an annual basis and performance is evaluated against internationally accepted parameters. This information is published in a transparent manner and is available in the BreastCheck Annual reports. BreastCheck has consistently reached and indeed surpassed these international standards which are interim measures of how successful the programme is likely to be at reducing mortality due to breast cancer. Contrary to the statement in the letter that the roll-out of BreastCheck will have no impact on survival, the National Cancer Screening Service BreastCheck is confident that BreastCheck is on track to make a significant impact on national breast cancer survival figures.

BreastCheck commissioned the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (QIS) to conduct an independent external audit of the BreastCheck service. This audit was carried out in early 2005 and found that BreastCheck was reaching all critical standards.