Courts / Ireland / Report

Hospital apologises to 'devastated' mother over failure to catch early cancer signs

Summary

A mother of three received an apology from St James' Hospital for the under-reporting of a cervical smear test in 2004, which may have led to her later diagnosis of cervical cancer. The woman claimed that the hospital failed to correctly report abnormal cells in the 2004 test, which could have triggered early intervention. The case was consolidated against the hospital and the HSE, with the hospital admitting a breach of duty in a letter of apology. The apology acknowledged that had the 2004 test been correctly reported, the woman may have been referred for colposcopy and the pre-cancerous cells could have been treated. The court was informed that the matter had been resolved to the woman's satisfaction, and the judge wished her and her husband all the best for the future.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Hospital apologises to 'devastated' mother over failure to catch early cancer signs. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

• 2009 and 2013 Other
• 2025-11-29 Publication

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Charge Or Pretrial

Read the original CNI report