National Screening Service apologises to Tipperary woman's family over mammogram failures

Following the National Screening Service High Court apology to the family of a Clonmel woman who died from breast cancer after failing to detect abnormalities in two consecutive Breastcheck mammograms, the solicitor representing the family issued a statement on their behalf in which it was stated that the admission and public apology provided a "level of justice for Kay O'Keeffe, her husband and her family for these catastrophic failures and their tragic outcome".

This Wednesday in the High Court, Breastcheck and the National Screening Service, admitted liability and publicly apologised for failing to detect abnormalities on two consecutive mammograms, taken in 2011 and 2013.

The statement issued by Donal T Ryan Solicitors LLP, Cashel, said that Mrs O’Keeffe passed away on May 12, 2017, having
courageously battled breast cancer for three years. By the time she was diagnosed in June 2014, her cancer was already incurable.

"At two separate meetings with Breastcheck Management in 2018, Kay’s husband asked how such failures could have happened.

"In particular, how could two consecutive mammograms, on the same person, performed two years apart, be misread on each occasion, when every mammogram is read independently by two consultant breast radiologists.

"It is extremely hard to understand how the failure to detect abnormalities on four independent readings occurred and clearly indicates a process failure.

"The responsibility now rests with Breastcheck to provide the assurance to women in Ireland that such failures can never happen again," the statement said.

Tipperary TD Alan Kelly said that he had been contacted  by Patsy O’Keefe from Clonmel in early 2018 regarding the untimely passing of his wife, Kay, the previous year.

"Patsy got in touch with me as not just a Tipperary TD but based on my work with Vicky Phelan," he said.

Deputy Kelly said that Mr O'Keeffe told him the story about what had happened to Kay and he was shocked.

"I had not heard of any case like this before," said the Labour TD.

He subsequently brought up the case (without naming the family) with Breastcheck and the National Screening Service on May 23, 2018 in the Oireachtas Health Committee. Further to that, he arranged a meeting with the then Minister for Health, Simon Harris, in July 2018 and subsequently with Breastcheck in October 2018. 

"Today’s public apology marks the culmination of years of struggle by Patsy and the O’Keefe family to get some level of justice for Kay’s treatment. They owed it to Kay.

"The catastrophic failures in process in this case are clear. The question is how did they happen?"

Deputy Kelly said that he was a huge supporter of Breastcheck, and, indeed, all screening services.

"Screening saves lives. However, it is incumbent on me to ask the National Screening Services and Breastcheck what they have done in the intervening years to ensure no such process failures as catastrophic as this could ever happen again and I will, in support of the O’Keefe family, continue to do so," he said.

In the High Court, Mr Justice Paul Coffey extended his deepest sympathy to Mr O'Keeffe and his children.