Call for more checks on our health trusts and Public Health Agency after Southern Health Trust's cervical screening scandal
‘Women deserve so much better than this’ says an Ulster Unionist councillor who has campaigned with women affected by the Southern Health Trust’s cervical screening scandal.
Cllr Julie Flaherty called for the ‘urgent need for transparency, accountability and reforms to restore confidence in cervical screening services’, following the findings of the Southern Trust’s Cervical Screening Review Report and the adjoining Public Health Agency (PHA) report.
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Cllr Flaherty, who had a special briefing with the SHCT and the PHA, said: “The findings of these reports are deeply troubling to say the least -highlighting systemic failures that have had profound consequences for women and their families.
"Having been closely involved with Ladies With Letters, and their campaign for answers for over a year now, I see the personal distress this is still causing. I feel this very personally as my own mother is a lady who got a letter and needs her own answers.
"It is unforgivable that eight women whose cytology smears were misread later developed cancer. It is unforgivable that women put their trust in a service, and they have been failed.
"But for two families the latest milestone in this scandal hits particularly hard in the lead up to Christmas without their beautiful ladies - I also know the feeling of an empty chair.
"Cervical screening is a cornerstone of a woman’s preventative healthcare, and any breakdown in this service is unacceptable."
Recognizing the distress caused to those directly impacted by the review findings, she added: "For the women and families affected, this is not just about reports – it’s about their lives.
"It has been very difficult to see this broken down into bare statistics. These women are all much more than that - they are wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters. They deserve answers, accountability, and support to rebuild trust in the system.
"There is now clear acknowledgment of systemic failures - but will anyone be held accountable for these failing that were allowed to persist over 13 years?
"Amongst all the statistics there is a glaring omission which must be addressed. In all the paralysis by analysis – there still is no answer as to who is going to be held accountable for ‘a persistent failure to tackle underperformance by some cervical screening staff’.
"The Health Trust is clearly examining itself - but who is checking what the PHA did, or didn’t do, over the 13-year period in question.”
Cllr Flaherty called for a renewed focus on patient safety and awareness. "This is a wake-up call for the entire healthcare sector. We must ensure that lessons are learned and that every woman feels confident in attending her screenings, knowing she will receive the highest standard of care.
"I stand with the 'Ladies With Letters' in their mission to ensure that every woman can have confidence in the healthcare services they rely upon.
"I remain committed to supporting their cause and advocating for the improvements and reassurances they have rightly demanded.
"We must now await another review, a review of a review if you like … but our campaign continues. These reports tell us that in black and white.
"A failing of this magnitude must never be allowed to happen again. Women deserve so much better than this.”