Date Published: 10 March 2010

Public trust and confidence in delivery of cancer services must be restored following Tallaght x-ray reporting failure, according to the Irish Cancer Society

The Irish Cancer Society has said that it is imperative that public trust and confidence in the delivery of cancer services be restored following the revelation of a serious failure in Tallaght hospital around the reporting of 58,000 x-rays.

“The fact that a patient is now being treated for cancer arising from this failure is a matter of serious concern to us in the Irish Cancer Society?, said Kathleen O'Meara, Head of Advocacy and Communications at the Society.

“There have been many very positive developments in the delivery of cancer care in the last number of years, all designed to ensure that patients receive the best possible care and get the best possible results. However, incidents like these have the effect of undermining public confidence and trust and this must be addressed?, she said.

Ms. O'Meara said that full transparency around the causes of this failure is central to restoring public trust.

“What has been termed a 'systems failure' must be fully explained and the findings of the independent investigation currently underway should be conducted with speed and the results published without delay, so that lessons are learned from this failure?.

News is included on the IvyRose website to inform visitors about current health issues, but not to endorse any particular view or activity. Any views expressed iin the article above are not necessarily those of IvyRose Ltd.. Material in this news item was released by the Irish source listed below on 10 March 2010 and may have been edited (e.g. in style, length, and/or for ease of understanding by our international readers) for inclusion here. For further information, please visit their website.