How the crisis in breast cancer diagnosis in Portlaoise unfolded.
July 4th, 2005:Consultant surgeon Peter Naughton writes to Minister for Health Mary Harney to warn her radiological services at the Midland Regional Hospital in Portlaoise were being provided "by people who have no expertise in this area" and that the service in the hospital is "a shambles".
He would not like his wife to go through the service at the hospital, he adds.
August 15th, 2007:Director of nursing at Portlaoise raises concerns about 10 "false positive" mammograms.
August 29th:HSE informs Department of Health and Minister for Health that, following the concerns raised, it has ceased the provision of breast radiology services at Portlaoise, placed a consultant radiologist on administrative leave and has set up a review of all breast radiology diagnoses at the hospital in the period from November 2003 to August 2007.
August 31st:The news becomes public and the HSE tells patients there was "no need for concern".
September 3rd:HSE says the review would cover 3,000 mammograms carried out at the hospital as well as ultrasound scans.
November 2nd:It emerges that seven of the women whose mammograms had been reviewed have been diagnosed with breast cancer.
November 7th:Details of Mr Naughton's letter to Ms Harney emerge.
November 9th:The consultant radiologist at the centre of the controversy claims she did not fail in her duty of care to patients. Dr Visa Moodley says she was distressed by reports saying she was responsible for failing to identify seven cases of cancer after mammography examinations at the hospital.
She says she is confident a review of her reports on the mammograms would show she did not fail in her duty of care to the women involved.
November 21st:Two more women, who had been given the all clear following mammograms, are revealed to have breast cancer.
November 22nd:The Oireachtas health committee is told that 97 women who attended the hospital with breast cancer fears are to be recalled for a review over concerns about ultrasound scans which initially gave them the all clear.
HSE National Hospitals Office director John O'Brien says that 568 clinical notes at the hospital are being investigated as part of the inquiry.
To date 391 cases had been examined with 97 women being recalled for surgical review.