Report on misdiagnosis due today

THE REPORT of the investigation into the misdiagnosis of breast cancer patient Rebecca O'Malley is due to be published by the…

THE REPORT of the investigation into the misdiagnosis of breast cancer patient Rebecca O'Malley is due to be published by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) today.

It emerged last May that Ms O'Malley, a mother of three from Ballina, Co Tipperary, had her breast cancer diagnosis delayed for 14 months after an error was made in the laboratory at Cork University Hospital. She had been attending the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick, which sent her samples to Cork for analysis.

It is understood the report will be critical of services at both Cork and Limerick and that it will make a large number of recommendations.

The report was initially due to be published last December but was deferred when new information came to light that needed further investigation.

READ MORE

Meanwhile, the Health Service Executive has not yet named the team that will carry out a review on its behalf of thousands of X-rays performed in the northeast.

It decided earlier this week to conduct a review of X-rays examined by a locum consultant who worked at a number of hospitals in the region, including Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda and Our Lady's Hospital in Navan, after it emerged there were concerns that a small number of lung cancers may not have been spotted in chest X-rays.

It is understood lung cancers may have been missed and therefore a diagnosis delayed in up to four cases, Newstalk radio reported yesterday.

It said that in two of these cases there had been a clear misdiagnosis, but in the other two cases diagnosis would not have been as clear cut.

The HSE has not disclosed how long the locum worked in the northeast, but it is understood he worked there for more than a year. He no longer works in the region.