The Health Minister has published a summary report
on issues related to the Northern Ireland Cervical Screening
Programme.
In November, the Minister appointed Professor Sir Frank Atherton,
previously the Chief Medical Officer in Wales, to conduct an
independent expert review of all previous work in relation to
cervical cytology services delivered by the Southern Health and
Social Care Trust (SHSCT) between January 2008 and October 2021.
The Minister said: “I acknowledge that this has been a
particularly difficult and challenging time for the women and
their families who have been impacted by cervical cancer. I want
to pay tribute to their determination and acknowledge the
profound effect these events have had on their lives. I have
listened to many of their personal stories and am deeply sorry to
hear that for some women, mistakes were made during the cervical
screening pathway and programme.
“Today, the report has been shared with some of those affected
and it has also been published online. I want to thank Sir Frank
for bringing his expertise to play in all his work in recent
months, for the findings he has reached in an extremely complex
area. Before finalising the Terms of Reference, I asked Sir
Frank to meet with representatives of the Ladies with Letters
Group to give them the opportunity to put their concerns and
queries forward.”
The Minister continued: “I asked Sir Frank to consider whether a
statutory public inquiry might provide additional significant
insight and assessment to the findings already made in relation
to questions of responsibility and to the future safety of this
important population screening programme. Sir Frank
concluded that while there have been significant failings, a
statutory public inquiry is highly unlikely to provide any
further clarity. I accept these findings and advice from Sir
Frank. A Statutory Public Inquiry is a means to an end, that end
being answering key questions. I believe those answers have been
addressed as far as that is possible. We know what happened, why
it happened, who was responsible and what has been done to try to
ensure it never happens again.
“I recognise that this decision will be disappointing for
many. I want to reassure them that lessons have been learnt and
we will continue to make developments to improve our Cervical
Screening Programme in Northern Ireland.”
In his report, Sir Frank acknowledged that significant
improvements have been made to the current Cervical Screening
Programme. Improvements include the important change to screening
which is now based on primary-HPV testing and the reconfiguration
of laboratory services to improve oversight.
The Minister added: “All recommendations to strengthen
accountability and quality assurance arrangements have either
already been fully implemented or are in the process of being
implemented. I have tasked my officials to ensure that all
recommendations made by Sir Frank, and from previous reports, are
fully implemented.”
Professor Sir Frank Atherton said: “I hope this summary
report helps to explain the historic failures in the Cervical
Screening Programme delivered by the Southern Health and Social
Care Trust, and provides reassurance that the changes which have
been made will ensure delivery of a safe, effective service for
women in Northern Ireland in the future.”
The Minister concluded: “Screening programmes are complex by
nature, which is apparent in all reports commissioned and
published to date. It is also important to state that screening
is not the same as a diagnostic assessment. Screening inherently
is more open to false negative conclusions. Moving to HPV
screening is fundamentally different to the one delivered during
the period in question and designed to decrease the number of
false negatives.
“I would encourage all those eligible to take up the offer of
cervical screening when invited to do so. It is an extremely
important screening programme which has been proven to save
lives.”
Notes to editors:
- Professor Sir Frank Atherton's summary report can be viewed
from 2pm here: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/summary-report-issues-related-northern-ireland-cervical-screening-programme-nicsp
- There have been six previous reports published in relation to
this. They are: Royal College of Pathologist Consulting report
for the Southern Health and Social Care Trust published by the
SHSCT on 9 October 2023, Southern Health and Social Care Trust
Cervical Cytology Review: Activity and Outcomes Report published
by the SHSCT and PHA on 11 December 2024, Cervical Cancers in the
SHSCT area published by PHA on 11 December 2024, An independent
expert opinion on the factual reports published in December 2024
on the Southern Trust's Cervical Cytology Review Outcomes report
(2008 2021) and the Cervical Cancers in the Southern Trust
(2009-2023) report. Published by PHA on 5 November 2025, An
independent review by the NHS England of the Public Health Agency
(PHA) Quality Assurance arrangements for Cervical Screening in
Northern Ireland. Published by PHA on 5 November 2025. An
anonymised summary of the Serious Adverse Incident (SAI) findings
and learnings involving 12 patients. Published by SHSCT on 5
November 2025
