Two women have died from cervical cancer after they were mistakenly given the all-clear following an NHS swab test, prompting a major safety review.
Since then, eight more have been diagnosed with the disease, due to abnormalities being missed in their smear tests.
Another 11 women’s slides were found to have precancerous cell changes when they were checked and had to receive treatment.
The Southern Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland has written to more than 17,000 patients in total, informing them that their swab test results are being rechecked.
The Trust apologized and admitted that the failures dated back around 13 years but were not controlled by the trustees.
But activist Stella McLoughlin said what happened was “inexcusable” and called for a public inquiry.
“This has been an absolute scandal from start to finish and was allowed to continue for 10 years,” he told the bbc.
“Slander is misunderstood, people are not held accountable, inspectors are not managed properly… all of this is affecting real people.”
Two women have died from cervical cancer after they were mistakenly given the all-clear following an NHS swab test, prompting a major safety review.
The two women who died have been named as Lynsey Courtney and Erin Harbinson, although no other details have been made public at this time.
The review involved rechecking the cervical screening test results of 17,425 women screened between 2008 and 2021.
The move was in response to an independent report by the Royal College of Pathologists (RCPATH) which found “persistent poor performance” in the work of some assessors – laboratory technicians who interpret tests and give results.
Of the four employees under review, one has been suspended, while the regulatory body, the Health and Care Professions Council, has imposed practicing conditions on a second.
In an interview with BBC News NI, the Southern Trust said it recognized this was a difficult time for all families and the anxiety the process had caused.
Chief medical officer Dr Steve Austin said the Trust had “lessons learnt” and “improvements have been made across the system”.
One of the women caught up in the scandal, named only as Susan, has revealed the devastation of receiving an incorrect swab test result.
She says her “world fell apart” when, at age 42, she was told she had cancer and needed a hysterectomy.
Currently in the UK, women aged 25 to 49 are invited to have a cervical screening at their GP’s office every three years, but uptake has decreased over time.
Cervical cancer symptoms to look out for include unusual vaginal bleeding, pain during sex, and lower back or pelvic pain.
The operation triggered menopause, which was ‘horrendous’ and ‘affected me’ physically, mentally and emotionally,” he said.
While Susan was recovering, the Trust contacted her and asked her to come in for a review of the case.
What followed was “totally shocking and devastating,” he said.
“They told me that not only had they missed one swab test, they had missed three in 10 years.”
He told the BBC: ‘You trust the medical profession, the people who are supposed to analyze these swab tests. You trusted them and someone didn’t do their job right.’
Currently in the UK, women aged 25 to 49 are invited to have a cervical screening at their GP’s office every three years.
Those between 50 and 64 years old can have one every five years.
Last month it was revealed that in England its use had fallen to a record low, with a third of women now avoiding screening which can detect early signs of cervical cancer.
NHS Digital data today revealed that just 68.7 per cent of women aged 25 to 64 in England had a cervical screening last year, marking a 10-year low.
It is the lowest figure recorded for a decade and means around five million eligible women in England did not receive the cheque.