Trio want all recommendations in Scally review implemented
Vicky Phelan, Stephen Teap, and Lorraine Walsh have urged the complete implementation of all 50 recommendations contained in the Scally review, which they say raises more questions about how their own cases were handled.
The trio discussed the Scally findings on RTÉ radio’s Ray D’Arcy Show, with all three left wondering whether people reviewing CervicalCheck scans in US laboratories were “moonlighting” or not properly qualified for the job in hand.
They revealed that in the course of a meeting with Dr Gabriel Scally on Tuesday — after parts of his report had been leaked — the issue of whether a commission of inquiry was still needed was discussed at length.
Mr Teap, from Carrigaline, Co Cork, whose wife Irene died in July 2017 after she had received two incorrect smear test results, said he is still considering legal action. He is awaiting a review of his wife’s smears.
Ms Walsh, who lives in Galway, said she was also awaiting a review of her smear slides before deciding on legal action.
As for the main finding that Dr Scally did not believe there was any kind of conspiracy, Ms Phelan said it appeared to have been a case of “incompetence” and “a shambles across the board”.
Ms Walsh referred to the part of the report outlining where and how some smear tests from CervicalCheck were analysed in US labs.
Specifically she read the section in which Dr Scally outlined how “in order to increase capacity sufficiently to undertake the Irish workload, CPL recruited staff to its pre-existing histology and cytopathology laboratory in San Antonio, Texas, as well as to its main laboratory in Austin”.
The report goes on to state: “It would appear, therefore, that a significant part of the Irish CervicalCheck work was undertaken by laboratory staff whose main employment was elsewhere in a training role, or in another role with little screening workload.”
Ms Walsh wondered if “they may have been moonlighting” in addition to their day job.
Both Ms Phelan and Mr Teap agreed that if that was the case, is was a danger the people looking at the slides could miss something, particularly if they were coming to the task from another job.
Speaking about her own case, settled in the High Court for €2.5m earlier this year, Ms Phelan said she was shown a normal smear slide and her own smear slide — originally categorised as normal by the lab — by her solicitor, Cian O’Carroll.
“There was a massive difference,” she said, adding that her status leapt from zero to one of the highest levels. “That indicates that someone didn’t look at the slide at all, and if they were moonlighting, and looked at it and were not qualified.”
Apportioning blame was not within the terms of reference of the Scally review — Ms Phelan said she and others understood this was the case before they had even read the report.
She said she was not sure that sanctioning people at this stage would improve the overall situation.
“I wouldn’t say I have mellowed out, [but] I am not sure there is any merit in it for me,” she said.
“I am sure other women may feel differently.”
Ms Phelan said it was “astonishing” that the risk committee of the directorate met once in eight years.
Mr Teap said he wanted to know why more action was not taken when, in 2011, it had been determined that standards in use at CPL were “not up to scratch”.
Mr Phelan said her own treatment with the drug Pembrolizumab had helped with a 50% reduction in tumour size, even though she was frustrated that not everyone who wanted the same access to the drug could do so.
“I don’t think I am on borrowed time any more,” she said. “It’s working, simple as that.”
She said she was “feeling great” and as for the report and the process that led to it, Ms Phelan added: “I will stand over it when all those recommendations are put in place.”
