Lisa Chambers
Question:367. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health the wait time for women waiting on smear test results; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48975/18]
View answerTuesday, 27 November 2018
Questions (367, 368, 369, 370)
Lisa Chambers
Question:368. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health the number of smear test slides waiting to be viewed; the reason for the backlog; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48976/18]
View answerLisa Chambers
Question:369. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health the steps he is taking in cases in which slides have not been read in time and therefore become unreadable; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48977/18]
View answerLisa Chambers
Question:370. Deputy Lisa Chambers asked the Minister for Health the number of CervicalCheck slides that have become unreadable since the beginning of the CervicalCheck scandal to date due to being left too long; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48978/18]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 367 to 370, inclusive, together.
On 1 May this year, I asked CervicalCheck to make the necessary arrangements to provide that any woman who has had a CervicalCheck smear test, and whose GP considers that they should have a further test, to access such a further test without charge. CervicalCheck laboratory activity has since been significantly above normal levels. This is as a result both of these out of cycle smears and increased uptake generally, and has impacted turnaround times for results of smear tests. This is a priority concern for my Department.
The HSE has advised that, currently, receipt of results of smear tests may take up to 20 weeks, that it may take longer in a small number of cases, and that it is working closely with laboratories to address this issue.
Smear test samples must be sent to the laboratory and made into slides within six weeks of the smear test date. After six weeks, the sample is deemed expired and cannot be processed. In some cases, the increased volume has resulted in a delay transferring samples to slides. The HSE has advised that, since 30 July 2018, the majority of smear test samples are now transferred to slides within the six-week timeframe. The HSE has further advised that, in October 2017, there was a 0.25% rate of expired samples and vials. For the same period in 2018 the rate was 0.29%. Additionally, in some cases a sample may be insufficient.
Although every effort is made to avoid these situations from happening, it is inevitable that cervical screening programmes will sometimes encounter these issues. In such cases, a woman and her GP are advised of the need for a repeat test in three months’ time by letter from CervicalCheck.
In regard to the specific details sought in relation to numbers of slides, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.