A major review of cervical screening at the Southern Health Trust has found that eight women whose smear tests were misread by screeners developed cancer.

When slides from 11 women were reviewed, they were found to have precancerous changes in their cells and had to undergo treatment.

When their smears were reviewed, all of these women either had precancerous changes in the cervix or had been diagnosed with some other significant gynecological condition.

Southern Health Trust has apologized to all those affected.

The review began after three women were diagnosed with a serious adverse event.

Two of the women, Lynsey Courtney and Erin Harbinson, have died.

More than 17,000 people were contacted to have their smear tests rechecked.

An investigation into cancer screening over 13 years at the Southern Health Trust found that many women were failed due to poor performance by some screeners and years of oversight by management.

Stella McLoughlin, of the campaign group Ladies with Letters, called what happened inexcusable and called for a public inquiry.

“This has been a complete scam from beginning to end and it has been allowed to go on for 10 years,” he said.

“Smears are being misread, people are not being held accountable, screeners are not being managed properly – all of this is impacting real people.”

In October 2023, the Southern Trust announced a precautionary review of cervical screening results of 17,425 women screened between 2008 – 2021.

The move was in response to an independent Royal College of Pathologists (RCPATH) report, which found “persistent poor performance” in the work of some laboratory screeners.

BBC News NI can also reveal that one of the four screeners under review has been suspended, while another has been placed under practice conditions following a hearing by the regulatory body, the Health and Care Professions Council.

In an interview with BBC News NI, the Southern Trust said it acknowledged this was a difficult time for all families and that the process had caused anxiety.

Medical director Dr. Steve Austin said that most of the slides examined were normal, but it was recognized that some women had different readings and had to undergo treatment as a result.

Dr. Austin said, “We have learned the lessons of what happened. HPV screening is now operational and laboratory services are now centralized in one location and other improvements have been made throughout the system.”

In February 2023, BBC News NI Southern Trust Cervical Scandal Broke When it was reported that a woman who had been diagnosed with cervical cancer had missed three previous abnormal smear tests.

After being contacted by the woman and a whistleblower coming forward with information, BBC News NI also revealed that concerns had been raised about the performance of some screeners ahead of 2022 and that their work was to be reviewed.

The Southern Trust acknowledged there were “failures” in the cervical testing laboratory, but said these extended beyond individual staff members and reflected “wider system failings”.

While less than 94% of the women identified took part in the review, the Trust identified 513 patients who had moved out of Northern Ireland.

Joanne McLean, director of public health at the Public Health Agency (PHA), said it was sorry for all the hurt, distress and grief it has caused people.

He said whether there should be a public inquiry or not is up to the Health Minister.

A highly critical Royal College of Pathology report found “persistent failure” to deal with poor performance by some cervical screening staff.

It said policies to deal with poor performance were below standard and the screening laboratory was not sustainable.

The college said the actions taken by management over several years were inadequate.

For the entire review period 2008–2021, Northern Ireland used cytology-based screening which involves making a slide from a smear test sample and viewing it under a microscope.

Cytology screening detects only three of the four abnormalities.

In December 2023, Northern Ireland caught up with the rest of the UK when it introduced primary HPV screening which tests for the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) which is responsible for almost all cases of cervical cancer.

This is a more sensitive screening method and is expected to detect nine out of 10 abnormalities.

The findings will now undergo an independent expert review, with work due to start soon by Alan Wilson, a senior biomedical scientist at NHS Lanarkshire. She has over 45 years’ experience working on the cervical screening program in Scotland.

Based on those findings, the Health Minister will decide whether to launch a public inquiry.

• Vaginal bleeding that is unusual for you – including during or after sex, between periods or after menopause – or heavier periods than usual
• changes in vaginal discharge
• Pain during sex or in the lower back, lower abdomen, or between the hip bones (pelvis)