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Helpline opens for patients affected by University Hospital Kerry review

Updated: 10.20 A helpline has opened for patients worried about scans at University Hospital Kerr...
Newstalk
Newstalk

07.37 18 Dec 2017


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Helpline opens for patients af...

Helpline opens for patients affected by University Hospital Kerry review

Newstalk
Newstalk

07.37 18 Dec 2017


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Updated: 10.20

A helpline has opened for patients worried about scans at University Hospital Kerry.

It comes as a review is being conducted of some 46,000 x-rays, cat scans and ultra sounds amid patient safety concerns at the hospital.

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This follows the notification of three Serious Reportable Events (SREs) over the course of the summer.

Scans of some 26,000 people are involved in the process, with two or three scams per person in some cases.

A dedicated information line has been established at 1800-742-900. It will operate from 9.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday.

The review, which was started at end of October, covers scans between March 2016 to July 2017.

As of last Friday, 18,000 files have been reviewed and the South/South West Hospital Group (SSWHG) says "only a very small number of these" have resulted in a patient call back and were "purely precautionary".

It says only 21 patients have been called back for "repeat imaging" and none of these required any further follow up or treatment.

The group says the process is expected to be completed within eight to ten weeks.

The clinical director at University Hospital Kerry is Claire O'Brien.

She says the problems can be traced back to a single employee.

"The review was launched based on findings of the delayed diagnosis in a small number of cases, which prompted the management team in University Hospital Kerry to look at the work of one individual staff member.

"Following on from this and because of concerns raised by some consultants and General Practitioners, the South/South West Hospital Group put a serious incident management team in place".


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