CervicalCheck repeat smear backlog
Deputy Mary Butler raised delays in repeat smear results from Quest Diagnostics and the stress they were causing women. The Tánaiste gave the HSE’s update, said some results were slightly outside the expected timeframe, and indicated most women would receive their results.
I would like to raise the issue of CervicalCheck. In January of this year, 4,500 women were invited to have a repeat smear. The test was ordered on foot of samples taken between 2015 and 2018 which were not tested within the 30-day recommended timeframe. Since the start of February, 2,500 repeat smear test samples have been sent to the Quest Diagnostics lab in the US. The HSE confirmed yesterday that only 200 women have received their results so far. This delay is causing undue stress and worry in a system in which women are losing confidence. Women are being informed that the test they undertook in 2015 has to be redone four years later. What plans has the HSE to deal with these unreasonable delays? The scale of the crisis seems to be running out of control. Women need to feel confident in this screening service but we are lurching from crisis to crisis.
Comment on this
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which Deputy Pearse Doherty also raised. I would like to read into the record the official position to respond, we hope, to the concerns that exist. The HSE reports that since 8 February, 2,572 repeat smear test samples have been received incrementally by Quest Diagnostics and more than 200 results have been reported in the past week. The anticipated timeframe for reporting the results of these tests was four to six weeks and clearly some test results are now slightly beyond this timeframe. However, the HSE has advised that the vast majority of women awaiting results for these repeat tests remain within the four to six-week timeframe committed to by the lab. A small number of women are, regrettably, waiting longer. The HSE has reported that the establishment of an ICT system for dealing with these repeat tests took longer than anticipated. The HSE has also stated that the laboratory is confident that remaining results will be reported to women within the next two weeks and that future samples received will have results issued within the stated four to six-week timeframe. I hope that within the next two weeks we will get reassurance and clarity on these issues.