14th May 2026
Dr Stephen Austin, Southern Trust Medical Director said;
“In recent months, we have co-operated fully with Sir Frank Atherton and welcome his review of all the published reports on this matter to date and the clarity it brings to a serious and complex issue.
“We apologise again to the women and families affected for past shortcomings in our cervical screening services and for the anxiety and distress this has caused.
“This report identifies clear failings in management, governance and quality assurance within the Trust. We fully accept that those failings should not have happened.
“We have examined the findings of all reports to date and have implemented all recommendations identified for the Trust to address past failings. Whilst the report published today provides important reassurance, we will carefully review its findings and ensure that any further recommendations are fully implemented, that oversight is strengthened and, that women can be confident in the cervical screening programme.
“It is important to acknowledge that much improvement has been made since 2023 with the introduction of primary HPV testing across Northern Ireland and the reconfiguration of lab services into one regional laboratory. As a Trust we have also established a Patient, Safety and Quality Committee to receive reports from external clinical peer reviews. This will ensure governance issues identified through quality assurance are properly addressed and that we do not see a repetition of the situation described in this report.
“Finally, it is important for women to know that screening saves lives and recent improvements mean that it is now even better at finding abnormalities which can put women at greater risk of going on to develop cervical cancer if left untreated. It is essential that women continue to attend for screening when they are invited.”
You can read Minister Nesbitt report on Cervical Screening Programme and the Sir Frank Atherton on the Department of Health website here: