Legal Experts Call For Women Affected To Seek Retesting

Medical law experts at Irwin Mitchell have urged women in County Durham to go for smear retesting if they are recalled, after concerns were raised about procedures carried out at a Newton Aycliffe surgery over the past 20 years.

NHS County Durham and Darlington have announced that some tests performed at the Bewick Crescent Surgery may not have reached the recognised standard and have issued the recall in order to confirm results from the original tests.

The trust has stated that it is unlikely that any cases of cervical cancer or other abnormalities will have been missed as a result of the problems.

News of the recall has come weeks after Brough and South Cave Medical Practice issued letters to around 1,200 patients in relation to a smear test recall.

Irwin Mitchell’s medical negligence team has welcomed the recalls and has called on women affected to quickly seek retesting.

Angela Kirtley, a Partner at the firm’s Newcastle office, said: “Through our work we have sadly seen the tragic consequences which can emerge when errors are made in medical testing of all kinds.

“While it is hugely important that a full investigation is held into how these issues occurred, the main priority at present is ensuring that women are able to get the tests that will provide them with significant reassurances.

“Following that, it is vital that full consideration is given as to why some testing was felt to have been unsatisfactory and what can ultimately be done to prevent the same problems from arising again in the future.”