Thousands of scans carried out on breast cancer patients who attended the Midland Regional Hospital in Portlaoise over an almost four-year period are to be reviewed, it was confirmed yesterday.
The review will involve a re- examination of all the mammograms and breast ultrasounds conducted at the hospital since November 2003.
This will be carried out by St Vincent's hospital in Dublin, in conjunction with BreastCheck.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) said yesterday that about 3,000 mammograms and 2,500 breast ultrasounds had been carried out at the Portlaoise Midland Regional Hospital since November 2003.
It was unable to say exactly how many patients' files would be reviewed but stressed the number of scans did not equate to the number of patients, as some patients would have had both an ultrasound and a mammogram.
The review follows the decision by the HSE last Friday to send a consultant radiologist on administrative leave while a review of the doctor's work is undertaken.
However, the scale of the review didn't become apparent until yesterday.
In a short statement, the HSE said: "St Vincent's hospital, in conjunction with BreastCheck, will facilitate the review of all radiology breast diagnosis carried out in the Midland Regional Hospital at Portlaoise since November 2003."
Coincidentally, the review was getting under way as Minister for Health Mary Harney was in Dublin meeting with management of Limerick's Barringtons' private hospital, which last month was requested by her department to suspend its treatment of breast cancer patients.
The order was issued to Barringtons as a result of serious concerns about its management of 10 breast cancer patients in particular, one of whom has since died.
Ms Harney met representatives of the hospital at Leinster House to discuss the setting up of an independent investigation into the care given to all breast cancer patients seen at Barringtons since September 2003.
The number of patients whose records will be reviewed in that hospital is not yet known, but it is likely to be substantial.
The meeting, which lasted about an hour, was described afterwards by Denis Cahalane, the managing director of Barringtons' Hospital, as "constructive on both sides".
He said: "We have agreed it is in the interests of our patients to carry out an internal review of all symptomatic breast cases and that will be followed quite shortly by an independent review."
Mr Cahalane added that if patients wanted to come into the hospital and discuss matters, Barringtons would facilitate them "in order to restore confidence" in the hospital.
Meanwhile, the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) said yesterday that it was "monitoring the recent developments at Barringtons' Hospital".
The fund, which aims to reduce public hospital waiting lists by arranging treatment in the private sector for those patients waiting more than three months to be seen in a public hospital, said it would "continue to work to ensure patient safety and satisfaction".
A spokesman confirmed the NTPF is continuing to refer public patients to Barringtons' Hospital.
Meanwhile, the HSE said it would make every effort to ensure the review of records at Portlaoise hospital was completed within a month.
"The HSE wishes to reassure patients there is no need for concern and any patient affected will be contacted directly by the HSE," it said.
Pending the outcome of the review, all mammography and breast ultrasound work for the Portlaoise region will be carried out at St Vincent's hospital, Dublin.