Statement on Professor Sir Frank Atherton report on cervical screening

The Public Health Agency (PHA) welcomes the publication of Sir Frank Atherton’s report on cervical screening.

The report notes that there were a number of past failings in elements of the operation, governance and quality assurance of the cervical screening system. The PHA is sorry for its part in this and apologises to people who have been affected.

This report, and the previous reviews that have been undertaken, have provided important direction which has helped strengthen service improvement in the screening programme, as well as highlighting shortcomings in how the system operated. In addition to ongoing quality improvement in the programme, the recommendations arising from the previous reviews have either already been implemented, or implementation is well under way. Consideration will be given to the additional recommendations within this report as we continue to work with the wider system to help ensure that the learning from this further underpins our systems and processes as we go forward.

It is important to note that the introduction of primary HPV into cervical screening and the centralisation of the laboratory components of the programme into a single laboratory in Belfast are major steps forward, and the quality assurance and governance of the programme that operate today are extremely rigorous.

Our cervical screening programme is essential in reducing the incidence of cancer and saving lives, and is very effective. However, it can only work if women attend for screening when invited. Cervical screening, along with HPV vaccination, can help us drive down the number of cases in Northern Ireland.