The Northern Ireland cervical screening review has been postponed, the procedure was due to start this week. Last month, it was reported that the smear test results of more than 17,000 women in the Southern Trust would be rechecked dating back to 2008. The Belfast Trust was due to examine the slides as part of the review, however, their cervical cytology service accreditation was suspend. The Trust plans to appeal the decision but the Public Health Agency (PHA) has been informed and will continue to monitor the aspects of their work.
It is not yet known whether the Trust plans on including the slides from the Southern Trust’s review or if they will be continuing to screen the slides from their own process. The process to be used in Northern Ireland is different than that of the rest of the UK and Ireland, it involves two individuals – the screener and checker who analyse the slides under a microscope.
UKAS is an independent body responsible for evaluating the competence of organisations that provide certification, testing and inspection. The suspension of accreditation is typically enforced when the organisation is unable to continue meeting the criteria as outlined by the standards for which they hold accreditation. While it is not mandatory for all cervical smear testing laboratories to be accredited, all screening program laboratories had been accredited prior to this sanction being imposed.
The Belfast Trust stated that it continues to have full faith in the rigorous testing carried out within the service. The Trust also affirmed that they will continue to provide cytology testing as planned, while the PHA will continually monitor and review their work. BBC News NI had discovered some concern over the performance of screeners at the Belfast Health Trust Laboratory after an independent report commissioned by Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) was highly critical. Several screening personnel had been noted for “significantly underperforming,” while actions taken by management were inadequate over several years
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