Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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111. To ask the Minister for Health if he will clarify the following in relation to cervical check screening, the percentage of tests currently carried out abroad as a percentage of the overall programme by year since 2020; the date on which he expects the Coombe facility to be fully staffed and operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7626/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The new National Cervical Screening Laboratory (NCSL) at the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital is now operational. I was pleased to recently visit the new facility which has received €20 million funding for construction, fit-out and staffing. I have provided further funding in 2023 for the ongoing recruitment of specialist staff for the new laboratory. Over time, it is anticipated that the new laboratory will become the principal provider of cervical screening for the National Screening Service and become a national centre of excellence for cervical screening, as well as education, training and research.

Processing of screening tests for the CervicalCheck programme at the Coombe were paused in December 2021 following a cyberattack at the hospital, but initial processing of tests for the programme re-started in December 2022.

Importantly CervicalCheck services were not affected by the situation at the Coombe, as the main contracted laboratory Quest Diagnostics has been providing testing for 100% of samples over the past year.

CervicalCheck is currently operating normally and is up to date with invitations for screening; by the end of 2021 they had screened the same number as in any other two-year period.

Prior to the cyber-attack, the Coombe was processing approx. 10% of samples. The National Screening Service advise it is planned to get back to 10% of the overall number being processed at the Coombe within the first quarter of 2023, with further increases expected throughout the year.

The HSE advise that recruitment for the NSCL is a priority, and a workforce plan is being implemented by the HSE, which is working with the Faculty of Pathology to build the required expertise. Recruitment is ongoing for essential roles in cytopathology, virology and medical scientists which are funded and supported by the Department. The HSE currently estimate that will take at least five years to recruit and train the necessary number of specialists to enable the NCSL become the principal screening laboratory for CervicalCheck.

Dr Scally’s final report, which was published in November 2022, highlighted the achievement of the new Lab and he noted that an “excellent system of Quality Assurance for laboratories” is now in place. Dr Scally also said “it will be essential to have at least two providers of laboratory services” to ensure continuity of service and mitigate risks from having just one provider".