THE FAMILIES of the late Anne Moriarty and Edel Kelly, the two women who were at the centre of the recent breast cancer misdiagnosis cases at Ennis General Hospital, have welcomed the move by Minister for Health Mary Harney to order an independent review of services there.
However, some campaigners and Opposition politicians have expressed concern that the review could be used as a means of downgrading Ennis and other smaller hospitals in the midwest region.
Anne Moriarty's husband, Karl Henry, said that although it was "a pity" his family had to go to such lengths to highlight what happened, the announcement of an inquiry was "very good news". He hoped it would lead to a situation where Ennis could be proud of its local hospital.
The new initiative is not a look-back or clinical audit of breast cancer patients treated in Ennis. Rather it is a review of patient services currently provided there, particularly in the emergency department.
The Minister said she had asked the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) to examine the operation of services at Ennis General Hospital, including issues relating to the diagnosis, follow-up and treatment of patients, as well as communications within the hospital.
Ms Harney specifically told HIQA chairman Pat McGrath the review should include how these arrangements worked in the emergency department in Ennis. She said it would be "particularly helpful if any of the conclusions or recommendations were applicable to other acute hospitals also".
Separately, the Health Service Executive (HSE) is to put in place a new referral process aimed at reassuring women who were diagnosed as not having breast cancer at hospital symptomatic breast clinics in the past two years but who may have concerns.
The exact terms of reference for the new HIQA review have not yet been finalised. However, highly placed health service sources said that it appeared to represent the first ever review of the entire services provided in a hospital.
It is also unclear at present how the review will fit with a separate examination of hospital services in the midwest region overall which has been under way in the HSE for some time.
Ms Harney said that she wanted the review to be completed within three months. "We must learn from the tragic experiences of Anne Moriarty and Edel Kelly. I am confident that HIQA's report will help us ensure that our services meet the standards which all our patients are entitled to expect."
In her letter to HIQA, Ms Harney said that in the wake of the Moriarty and Kelly cases the expert clinical advice available to her was that a clinical review of other patients treated in Ennis would not be warranted. She said she was also conscious that breast cancer services had already been transferred from the hospital.
"However, I feel it is important to have a wider examination of the operation of Ennis General Hospital. I believe that there may be lessons to be learned both for Ennis General Hospital itself and for the wider acute hospital system," she said.
The HSE said it recognised that many women who have attended hospital symptomatic breast clinics in the past two years and who were diagnosed as not having breast cancer were now seeking reassurance.
It said it had every reason to believe that the vast majority of women who were assessed in a hospital breast clinic received the correct and appropriate assessment. However, it urged women with concerns to contact their GP.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael TD Michael Noonan last night raised the case of another woman "who is now extremely seriously ill with cancer", following two false negative cervical smear tests.
