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Campaigners are contemplating legal measures following the decision by Health Minister Mike Nesbitt to reject calls for a public inquiry into the failures within Northern Ireland’s cervical screening service. Nesbitt stated that a recent independent review, alongside previous reports, had already addressed the issues that a public inquiry would cover. Despite this, members of the “Ladies with Letters” campaign expressed their discontent, insisting that their efforts are “far from over” and will not be disregarded.
The announcement was met with strong criticism from campaigners who accused health authorities of deliberately avoiding the full truth. Tracey Bell, a spokesperson for the group, described the process of repeated reviews as “carefully orchestrated to give the impression that no stone has been left unturned,” but insisted it was actually “a blatant refusal to uncover the truth.” She further condemned the decision as an insult to women who suffered due to misread smear tests, and especially to the families of Lynsey Courtney and Erin Harbison, two young mothers who tragically died. Bell made it clear that the campaign will continue and will not be “swept under the mat.”
In response to criticisms, Mike Nesbitt acknowledged the disappointment the decision would bring to many but reassured the public that lessons have been learned and improvements would continue to be made to the cervical screening programme in Northern Ireland. He emphasized the challenging circumstances faced by women and their families affected by cervical cancer and paid tribute to their resilience throughout these difficult times.
The independent review commissioned by Nesbitt was carried out by Professor Sir Frank Atherton, the former chief medical officer for Wales. His findings recognized “clear management and governance failings” within the Southern Trust and the Public Health Agency (PHA), yet concluded that it would not be appropriate to pursue sanctions against individual screeners. Sir Frank pointed out that false negatives are an inherent risk in any cervical screening programme, which can sometimes be attributed to human error, and noted that variations in the Southern Trust’s screening practices had unintended consequences that disrupted effective oversight. While it remains uncertain whether substantial harm occurred to many women, the review stressed the importance of closely monitoring the new centralized HPV screening service to ensure safety, with Sir Frank expressing confidence that this system was secure
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