Vicky Phelan's solicitor Cian O'Carroll has revealed that the mother of twos Gynacologist had "no idea" that she had cancer that was older than she understood it to be.
Speaking to Eamon in response to comment made by HSE National Director of Health and Wellbeing - Dr Stephanie O'Keeffe on how she had not expected that the women would not be informed of the audit findings.
"They weren't given the reports if you simply look at Vicky Phelan's case her doctor had no idea, her doctor wasn’t given the report for 2 years, he had no idea that she had cancer that was older than she understood it to be and whether or not that was clinically relevant that’s another matter.
Mr O'Carroll said that it is untrue to say that doctors weren’t told about the audit findings.
Further documentation released by the Department of Health show a serious of correspondence on the audit issues to doctors.
"They specifically said delete any reference to open disclosure where the woman has died, Mr O'Carroll told Eamon.
According to Vicky's solicitor, her smear was incorrectly read in 2011 and when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2014 it "triggered" a review process, so unknown to her Gynaecologist Dr Kevin Hickey her smear was taken out, looked at again and on the 1st October 2014 CrevicalCheck was informed by the audit process that her smear had been “wildly misread” and from the 1st of October through to July of 2017, they kept that information from her clinician.
This began a serious of correspondence forward and back with the then Clinical Director of CrevicalCheck disputing who should tell the patient.
Listen to Cian's interview with Eamon below.
https://soundcloud.com/wlrfmwaterford/vicky-phelans-solictor-gynaecologist-had-no-idea-for-2-years-that-vicky-had-cancer
