Women recalled for cancer checks

Health officials have called for a review of services

Nearly 200 women who were being treated for suspected breast cancer have been called for re-examination.

The decision came after it emerged the women did not receive the required standard of breast examination at Inverclyde Royal Hospital, in Greenock.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde announced that it has ordered a full review of breast services at the hospital.

The health board said that it has been attempting to contact all of the women involved for new appointments.

The hospital is telling patients not to panic

So far, 133 of the 198 women affected have been reached.

A helpline for any patient who attended the breast clinic at Inverclyde Royal Hospital has been set up.

Medical records

The women have been recalled because they did not receive the required mammography or ultrasound and biopsy in addition to the standard clinical breast examination.

The health board identified the 198 women after examining medical records of 1,600 patients going back 18 months.

Associate medical director of surgery and anaesthesia, Professor Tim Cooke, will head an urgent review of the care provided to patients within the clinics.

Prof Cooke said: "The vast majority of women attending a breast clinic need no more than a clinical examination to determine they have no cancer risk.

This must be a desperately worrying time for the women affected and for their families

Duncan McNeil MSP

"For other women, the standard assessment of breast care symptoms includes clinical examination, mammography or ultrasound and biopsy.

"From the review of cases at Inverclyde Royal Hospital, a number of patients who fall into this category appear not to have received this standard assessment."

Tom Divers, chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said differences in the standards between Inverclyde and other breast clinics in the area first emerged during an audit of breast cancer care.

He added: "This highlighted that, when compared to other centres, a lower percentage of patients seen at Inverclyde had diagnosis confirmed before surgical intervention.

"Further interrogation of these results has now identified that some patients did not receive the full range of appropriate tests when being assessed for suspected breast cancer.

"This has prompted us to launch a full review of practices at these clinics."

Clinical duties

The clinics were run by Ian Morrice and Eric Taylor. While the review is being carried out, Mr Morrice has withdrawn from the breast service but will continue with other clinical duties at the hospital.

Mr Morrice is scheduled to retire next month while Mr Taylor retired in February this year.

No other clinics throughout the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area are affected.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said she was very concerned

Duncan McNeil, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, has demanded a full inquiry into the affair by new Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon to prevent anything similar happening in the future.

"This must be a desperately worrying time for the women affected and for their families," he said.

"The first priority must be reassuring every woman involved as quickly as possible and every ounce of capacity in the entire NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area must be focussed on this.

"I also expect her assurance that any solution will be based on improving the quality of services at the IRH, not removing them."

Lessons learned

Ms Sturgeon said she was "very concerned" at the revelations and would be carefully monitoring the board's actions.

"All of the lessons learned will be shared with NHS boards across Scotland," she said.

And she added: "I am also asking NHS Quality Improvement Scotland to accelerate completion of the current review of clinical standards for breast cancer services, which are already in process of being updated in the light of advances in clinical knowledge and techniques."

Any patient with concerns can contact the helpline on 08000 858 531.