A health watchdog’s report on how BreastCheck manages the patient information it gathers earlier this year found shortcomings in governance structures that had “the potential to impact on the quality of the breast cancer screening service”. The Hiqa report made 11 key recommendations and said that its findings had relevance to the other three national screening programmes – CervicalCheck, BowelScreen and Diabetic RetinaScreen. While the four programmes operate as distinct units, all are positioned within the National Screening Service governance model. Hiqa noted that the process of screening generates large volumes of personal health information and relies on accurate documentation and communication of information. “Information needs to be managed correctly so that women attending screening will receive timely, efficient and effective care if a cancer is detected,” the report said.

Source: The Irish Times May 25, 2018 00:00 UTC