My smear test dilemma: How do I confess that this is my first one, at the age of 41?
It wasn’t a deliberate path of avoidance. It just sort of spiralled
CervicalCheck
News about CervicalCheck, the national cervical screening programme
Stephen Teap becomes CEO of cancer support organisation
The father of two became patient advocate after his wife Irene died of cancer arising out of deficiencies in CervicalCheck programme
CervicalCheck patients have improved healthcare with their advocacy, study finds
Women affected still lack trust in the system, however, after scores were given inaccurate results
Trust in cervical screening ‘significantly lower’ in Ireland than Scotland, ESRI finds
The research investigated the impact of this controversy on public trust and the attribution of blame for interval cancers – cancers diagnosed after a negative screening result
Family of woman who died of cervical cancer settles case over smear results
Woman endured excruciating pain before her death nine years ago, court hears
Dublin hospital board apologises for ‘unacceptable failure’ in reporting woman’s cervical sample
Nurse Oonagh McEvoy (36) died from metastatic cervical cancer in 2011, four years after a negative smear result
Beaumont Hospital sued over alleged misreporting of smear sample for nurse who later died
Nurse Oonagh McEvoy was 36 years of age when she died of cervical cancer in 2011
Agreement signed to move on from ‘painful past’ around CervicalCheck
Memo acknowledges improvements made to cervical cancer screening since 2018 controversy
‘It’s too small; it’s too limited’ - how the North lags the South in women’s healthcare
Women’s health seen as a priority in Republic, in stark contrast to Northern Ireland, where women are still seeking information about review of smear test results
New Rotunda outpatient and ambulatory services to be in revamped Clerys Quarter
New centre in the Earl Building will cost more than €40m, and will provide over 100,000 appointments annually
Abnormalities detected in cervical cancer screening fall as HPV vaccine makes impact
Study showing 60 per cent fall in detections of pre-cancers suggests Ireland on the way to eliminating the disease
HPV vaccine for boys: why it’s needed, how it works and its safety record
Over 100 million people have been fully vaccinated with Gardasil worldwide- including over 550,000 people in Ireland
It is not possible to achieve zero-error cancer screening
Programmes are destined to succeed for the many but sadly cannot reach levels of perfection
Solicitor firm that represented Vicky Phelan earned €6.68m from State in medical negligence claims in 18 months
Cian O’Carroll, Ms Phelan’s lawyer, says patients would prefer quality medical care to damages
CervicalCheck: Legal claims threaten programme, WHO warns
Cervical cancer screening programme facing €300m in claims, against an annual budget of €34m, says WHO
Lab involved in CervicalCheck scandal estimates liabilities from legal claims at €49m
Medlab Pathology sued in High Court by a number of women over alleged failings between 2011 and 2019
Woman (59) suing over alleged smear slide misreporting dies, court told
HSE and labs declined a plea last week to preserve access to general damages after death if action succeeds
Lawyers for woman dying of cervical cancer urge HSE to settle personal injuries case
Woman (59) is gravely ill and only has ‘a matter of days’ before she dies, court hears
Fears over future of cancer screening as legal actions continue to rise
Difficulty recruiting staff to work in an environment where they will be processing a high volume of tests while running the risk of being sued
No date for resumption of CervicalCheck screening in Ireland after only lab has accreditation suspended
From Wednesday all Irish samples are again being sent to the US for processing
Processing of Irish CervicalCheck samples halted after lab’s accreditation is suspended
CervicalCheck: Coombe lab forced to outsource cervical cancer screening work to the US due to non-compliance issue
‘This bill is Vicky’s legacy’ - Patient safety legislation passed in the Dáil after CervicalCheck controversy
The legislation makes it mandatory for patients to be informed of their right to patient-requested reviews following representations from the 221+ support group
Processing of cervical cancer slides restarts in Coombe after break of over a year
New National Cervical Screening Laboratory plans to process all CervicalCheck slides within five years
Dr Cillian de Gascun: ‘Notwithstanding what happened in 2018, this is a positive news story’
Paul Cullen talks to the head of the NCSL, Ireland’s new dedicated cervical screening lab, built so that Irish women’s samples no longer need to be sent abroad.
Ten legal firms shared €31m costs in medical negligence cases from State Claims Agency
€4.76m paid out in legal costs in CervicalCheck claims to date
HSE and laboratory apologise to woman whose smear tests were misreported
The woman’s lawyers said 'two missed opportunities have had devastating consequences'
Stephen and Irene Teap were ‘not told the truth’, Gabriel Scally says
Doctor who led inquiry into CervicalCheck scandal says current testing systems are as ‘good as can be’
Stephen Teap: ‘These labs denied Oscar and Noah a life with their mother’
Irene Teap died aged 35 in July 2017 from cervical cancer after abnormalities in her smear tests were not reported
Patient Safety Bill to be amended to make it mandatory for clinicians to inform patients of right to review
Minister says ‘we don’t normally legislate at that level’ but ‘there’s a particular unique context to this in Ireland’
‘Inconsistent’ smear reporting flagged a decade before CervicalCheck controversy
Practice nurse wrote to minister in 2009 warning of ‘serious consequences’ to Irish women over US laboratory’s reports
Justine McCarthy: CervicalCheck scandal did not die with Vicky Phelan
Who, what, where and when of this tragedy has been revealed. But no attempt has been made to answer this pressing question: why did it happen?
CervicalCheck: Gabriel Scally says ‘serious work’ needed to create open disclosure policy
Investigator reports substantial progress on implementation of recommendations
CervicalCheck: Hostility towards campaign group ‘completely unacceptable’, says Scally
Report author said he was told some clinicians asked women whether they were members of 221+ before considering treating them
Fintan O’Toole: Ireland should not need heroines like Vicky Phelan
State’s savage imperative of self-disclosure meant Phelan had to make her private illness a political matter
Vicky Phelan seemed hard-wired to do the right thing
Naomi Linehan, cowriter of Vicky Phelan’s memoir, on their time together and the cancer campaigner’s driving passion: her devotion to her children
HSE warned Donnelly off mandatory disclosure in cancer cases
Board warned Minister of ‘negative consequences’ of plans to legislate for mandatory open disclosure in medical cases
Miriam Lord: Vicky Phelan wanted no tributes but they came, heartfelt and sincere, from all sides
Death of woman who held the State to account prompts minute silence in Dáil
Death of Vicky Phelan throws into focus Government inaction on key promises
Commitments made during CervicalCheck controversy have yet to become a reality
Final CervicalCheck report to be ‘full and frank’ on reforms left undone - investigator
Dr Gabriel Scally’s concluding progress report into scandal is likely to point to significant work to be done on mandatory disclosure
Vicky Phelan: She didn’t want accolades or broken promises. Just action and change
Miriam Lord: Vicky’s work is far from done. Others have been inspired. They will do it now in her memory
The Irish Times view on Vicky Phelan’s legacy: a life that left an indelible mark
The love of her family, and the knowledge that she was fighting for others, gave her the strength to keep going
Vicky Phelan case paved the way for CervicalCheck test action
Almost 370 CervicalCheck cases taken in the High Court up to last August
Vicky Phelan ‘inspired not only ourselves but an entire nation’, say family
President leads tributes to ‘tireless’ cervical cancer campaigner who has died aged 48
Limerick pays tribute to ‘our Vicky’, a hero to her adopted hometown
Tricolour flew at half mast on Shannonside as locals hail woman who gave others courage to stand up
Vicky Phelan: Even heroes need to rest
Jen Hogan: Vicky always expressed amazement about the kindness she encountered, as if she never quite realised what an inspiration she was
Vicky Phelan was a ‘force for truth and honesty’, her solicitor says
Mark of campaigner’s generosity that she gave so much time to ‘the rest of us and to Irish society’
Funeral of CervicalCheck campaigner Lynsey Bennett to take place in Longford on Monday
Ms Bennett, who was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2017, is survived by her daughters Zoe and Hailee
Widower settles action against HSE over alleged misdiagnosis of wife’s smear slide
Liability was contested in the case and the HSE denied the claims made against it
Covid-19 restrictions cause CervicalCheck samples to go out of date
Two hundred women will have to be retested due to delays in processing tests
The Irish Times view on CervicalCheck tribunal: The need for an agreed outcome
No point in establishing tribunal to ease pressure on women affected if it is done in a manner that leads many or most to boycott the process
Cervical Check Tribunal ‘not fit for purpose’, says Vicky Phelan
Government working to ensure tribunal is as ‘non-adversarial as possible’, says Donnelly
CervicalCheck urged to start patient-requested reviews for invasive cancer diagnoses
Reviews tasked with reviewing the management of interval cancers
CervicalCheck director leaves after less than a year
Dr Lorraine Doherty moving to become HSE’s clinical director for health protection
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