Minister Nesbitt publishes report on Cervical Screening Programme

Date published: 14 May 2026

In November, the Minister appointed Professor Sir Frank Atherton, previously the Chief Medical Officer in Wales, to conduct an independent expert review of all previous work in relation to cervical cytology services delivered by the Southern Health and Social Care Trust (SHSCT) between January 2008 and October 2021.

The Minister said: 

“I acknowledge that this has been a particularly difficult and challenging time for the women and their families who have been impacted by cervical cancer. I want to pay tribute to their determination and acknowledge the profound effect these events have had on their lives. I have listened to many of their personal stories and am deeply sorry to hear that for some women, mistakes were made during the cervical screening pathway and programme.

“Today, the report has been shared with some of those affected and it has also been published online. I want to thank Sir Frank for bringing his expertise to play in all his work in recent months, for the findings he has reached in an extremely complex area. Before finalising the Terms of Reference, I asked Sir Frank to meet with representatives of the Ladies with Letters Group to give them the opportunity to put their concerns and queries forward.”

The Minister continued: 

“I asked Sir Frank to consider whether a statutory public inquiry might provide additional significant insight and assessment to the findings already made in relation to questions of responsibility and to the future safety of this important population screening programme.  Sir Frank concluded that while there have been significant failings, a statutory public inquiry is highly unlikely to provide any further clarity. I accept these findings and advice from Sir Frank. A Statutory Public Inquiry is a means to an end, that end being answering key questions. I believe those answers have been addressed as far as that is possible. We know what happened, why it happened, who was responsible and what has been done to try to ensure it never happens again.

“I recognise that this decision will be disappointing for many. I want to reassure them that lessons have been learnt and we will continue to make developments to improve our Cervical Screening Programme in Northern Ireland.”

In his report, Sir Frank acknowledged that significant improvements have been made to the current Cervical Screening Programme. Improvements include the important change to screening which is now based on primary-HPV testing and the reconfiguration of laboratory services to improve oversight.

The Minister added: 

“All recommendations to strengthen accountability and quality assurance arrangements have either already been fully implemented or are in the process of being implemented.  I have tasked my officials to ensure that all recommendations made by Sir Frank, and from previous reports, are fully implemented.”

Professor Sir Frank Atherton said: 

“I hope this summary report helps to explain the historic failures in the Cervical Screening Programme delivered by the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, and provides reassurance that the changes which have been made will ensure delivery of a safe, effective service for women in Northern Ireland in the future.”

The Minister concluded: 

“Screening programmes are complex by nature, which is apparent in all reports commissioned and published to date. It is also important to state that screening is not the same as a diagnostic assessment. Screening inherently is more open to false negative conclusions. Moving to HPV screening is fundamentally different to the one delivered during the period in question and designed to decrease the number of false negatives.

“I would encourage all those eligible to take up the offer of cervical screening when invited to do so. It is an extremely important screening programme which has been proven to save lives.”