Damning report into Letterkenny Hospital’s cancer diagnoses

A REVIEW into gynaecological services at Letterkenny University Hospital has delivered a damning verdict.

The review was carried out by Saolta after being ordered by the HSE following a number of cases of alleged missed cancer diagnoses.

The review found that patients who suffered delayed diagnosis were wrongly triaged and not booked in for follow-up appointments in some instances.

The review was ordered after allegations made by whistleblower Margaret MacMahon, a Donegal-born doctor whose late sister Carol’s endometrial cancer was missed for two years.

“With specific reference to the cases which triggered this review, the common theme was delay in diagnosis,” the report said.

“There were several causes for this including poor follow-up practices, and poor triage and administrative practices; all compounded by ineffective communication.

“In essence, it was a failure to individualise and provide a person-centred approach to the care of these patients.”

The report said that the women received ‘unsatisfactory’ care and described the triage process as ‘cumbersome, inefficient and represents a significant opportunity for error and delay’.

In an interview with The Irish Times, Dr MacMahon, said the report ‘glosses over’ the deaths of patients due to ‘this diabolical service’.