Cork hospital says staff issues the reason for backlog of unread scans
It is being reported that Cork University Hospital (CUH) has completed a backlog of almost 2,500 unread plain film scans.
The backlog of 2,466 unread plain film scans was caused as a result of staffing issues over the summer.
Following the review, 14 patients were recalled but the hospital have stated that there were no cases of adverse outcomes.
According to RTÉ News, a number of the recalls were due to the original scans being unclear or unreadable.
Plain film scans are x-rays and do not include CTI, MRI or ultrasound scans.
In a statement released to RTÉ News, the South/South West Hospital Group said that the radiology department at the Cork hospital experienced one episode of protracted and unexpected sick leave.
Another radiologist was in part deployed to a national role and this coincided with the peak holiday period.
The hospital had approved replacement locum cover but suitable cover was not found following an advertisement.
"This left an unmet number of 2,466 plain film scans out of an annual total of 166,000 images annually, approx 1.5%," the hospital said.
This backlog has now been cleared and the 14 patients who were recalled were scheduled for follow-up scans.
These follow-up scans were in keeping with normal practice according to the hospital as scans may not be sufficiently definitive.
The CUH Quality and Safety Office is continuing to monitor the situation.
CUH says the situation was well managed given the unforeseen staffing issues.
The South/South West Hospital Group also includes University Hospital Kerry which is currently at the centre of the ongoing controversy involving over 46,300 radiology scans to be reviewed.
