By Martin Walker
Health officials have confirmed that concerns about inadequate smear tests at a Newton Aycliffe GP practice go back at least five years.
As reported on Aycliffe Today last week, about 1,000 women in the Aycliffe area were being invited to have new smear tests because of fears that previous tests had been done incorrectly.
Now officials from NHS County Durham and Darlington have admitted that concerns about the way tests to detect possible early signs of cervical cancer were being done at the Bewick Crescent Surgery go back at least five years.
As reported in today’s Northern Echo, doctors have urged patients not to panic after it was revealed about 1,000 tests will have to be repeated.
However, the doctors have said that any risk that the tests had failed to pick up serious abnormalities was very low.
New concerns emerged after Ann-Marie Duff, a 36-year-old mother-of-two from Aycliffe, told the Echo she’d received a letter from the NHS inviting her to have another smear test because a test she had in April 2007 – more than five years ago – had not reached a satisfactory standard.
“I cannot believe it has only been noticed now,” Ann-Marie told the Echo.
“It is shocking that it has taken this long to come to light and be dealt with. Five years is a really long time for something so important to come to light,” she said.
“I can only imagine how things might have been if there was a problem back in 2007 but it wasn’t picked up.”
Dr David Landes, deputy director of public health for the County Durham and Darlington Primary Care Trust (PCT), said: “To be certain we have gone back to the beginning of the screening service in 1988. The national advice was to go through all the records and exclude any cases where you have evidence that things are fine.”
Dr Landes said the vast majority of the women contacted involved tests done more recently than 2007.
He urged any women who had concerns to raise them with their GP. Anyone who was still unhappy should contact the PCT’s patient advice and liaison service on 0800 195 7998.