57,000 X-rays not reviewed by consultant at Tallaght

OutlawPete · 09-03-2010 07:14PM #1

I said it before on threads but all these radiology scandals are the tip of the iceberg.

My own father was given the all clear and sent home to take anti-biotics for a chest infection after xrays only to be rushed into hospital three weeks later with cancer so far advanced he was dead within weeks.

It's beyond a scandal now, something needs to be done to stop this happening again and again.

More than 57,000 X-rays taken at Tallaght Hospital in Dublin between 2005 and the end of 2009 were not reviewed by a consultant radiologist.

The hospital says that to its deep regret, two patients had a delayed diagnosis as a result.

One died last summer and another is undergoing treatment for cancer.
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Tallaght Hospital CEO designate Professor Kevin Conlon said he was 'stunned' to learn of the problem when he was appointed on 14 December last year and was only informed today of the case of the patient who died.

He said the X-rays would have been reviewed at the time by a non-radiologist, most likely another clinician but this was not acceptable.

In December, extra staff were appointed to clear the radiology backlog and to date, 34,752 of the 57,921 X-rays have now been reviewed and reports finished.

The hospital hopes to have the 23,169 remaining X-rays reviewed by May. The X-rays were for various tests including cancer, heart checks and orthopaedics.

The hospital says the HSE was informed of the problem in December.
Prof Conlon said what had happened was totally unacceptable and arose from systemic and process failures.

Source

alwaysadub · 09-03-2010 07:19PM

I was just watching that on RTE.
i don't trust hospitals at all anymore
Im waiting on test results back(not from Tallaght thank god) but i don't think i'll be satisfied with the results either way
You could understand a couple slipping through the cracks but 57,000???
Disgraceful

mikom · 09-03-2010 07:22PM

Outlaw, sorry to hear about your father.

super_furry · 09-03-2010 07:22PM

And yet they want to close St Lukes. Probably the best cancer facility in the country with some of the most hardworking, compasionate and tallented people working there.

OutlawPete · 09-03-2010 07:31PM

mikom wrote: »

Outlaw, sorry to hear about your father.

Thanks, it was 2004 and in the hospital he cried and said that one day I should get the hospital records and prove they fcuked up his tests. I have tried but it's a stone wall to try and overcome.

I was with him the day he received the all after the xrays and told he was 100% and when my Dad said that he felt weaker than usual (he played golf) the smart a*** consultant just said: "Well now Mr *****, your getting on a bit and a 66 you're not going to feel like a 25 year old.." :rolleyes:

Given anti-biotics and I watched him disintegrate over three weeks and I begged him ever day to go back and get a second opinion as he was losing so much weight but he was the type to not like fuss and had such respect for consultants that he wouldn't dare doubt them.

He became so weak that he couldn't walk and so was rushed into hospital were xRays showed his cancer was so far advanced that there was nothing they could do for him.

tallus · 09-03-2010 07:37PM

Sorry to hear about your father OP. It's a bloody shame that anybody trusted with the health and wellbeing of individuals could be so reckless.
Personally I think the consultant should be given a custodial sentence if it has been proven that even one person suffered because of his/her negligence.

Sulmac · 09-03-2010 07:38PM

Is anyone surprised, honestly?

I actually find disheartening that stuff like this doesn't shock me any more.

Tallaght Hospital, the HSE, Mary Harney and the Government should hang their heads in same - though I'm sure they'll all find their own way to weasel out of it.

Also, OutlawPete, what happened to your father is beyond excuse, my sympathies to you and your family.

xw2lj9uspm1eyh · 09-03-2010 07:43PM

Jesus my mum got a bone marrow test today and it's getting sent to Tallaght to be examined

.

Son Of A Vidic · 09-03-2010 08:06PM

No level of HSE incompetence could possibly shock me and yet again Mary Harney has something to be proud of.

Bazzy · 09-03-2010 08:21PM

I got blood tests in tallaght hospital last August.

Got a phone call back Hello Mr Surname we were just looking through your blood tests your aware your pregnant.

Tallaght Hospital STAY AWAY

Töpher · 09-03-2010 08:27PM

Bazzy wrote: »

I got blood tests in tallaght hospital last August.

Got a phone call back Hello Mr Surname we were just looking through your blood tests your aware your pregnant.

Tallaght Hospital STAY AWAY

Clowns, did they not realise that you'd probably have delivered by now? :eek:

Bazzy · 09-03-2010 08:28PM

I have a rather deep voice as well it wasn't funny it was actually scary it really frightened me to think they could get something SOO wrong

IvySlayer · 09-03-2010 08:31PM

Sorry to hear about your Dad, Pete.

This is a momumental screw up and heads have to roll for this.

neil_18_ · 09-03-2010 08:31PM

Its disgusting, it really is. I'm shocked... You literally put your life in their hands, you trust them...

Sofiztikated · 09-03-2010 08:32PM

Jaysus, Pete, sorry to hear about your father. At least you don't seem to be "bitter" about it, I know I'd be like a man possessed!

This has me worried now, I'm due to attend Tallaght for the first time now in May, first check up in years, since attending Crumlin.

Never knew Tallaght was in the ****s like this.

57,000! how in the hell do you not check 57,000. Thats 14250 a year. Thats 39 a day. I'm not accounting for the leap year though, maybe that'll make a difference.

57,000! Bloody hell.

Mrmoe · 09-03-2010 08:34PM

That news is extremely troubling. Chances are that they may have caught this mistake but many more will be missed and major ones at that. How exactly could they have missed something this big.

El Siglo · 09-03-2010 08:35PM

Disgraceful so it is. I mean, whatever about this political shite we usually talk about here on AH, this is sickening, really awful because it's peoples lives that are at risk (even thinking now about Biggins' plea for help regarding the closure of wards in Crumlin Children's Hospital). Sorry for your loss Outlaw, it's a sad indictment of the way things have gotten.

bluto63 · 09-03-2010 08:39PM

Töpher wrote: »

Clowns, did they not realise that you'd probably have delivered by now? :eek:

The whole being Mr Surname might help prevent that

Elenxor · 09-03-2010 08:42PM

It's time medics realised that when patients go into hospital., they expect to come out alive!!!!

WIZE · 09-03-2010 09:12PM

Its not just tallaght that is incompetent

My Dad was diagnosed with Liver cancer a 3 years ago and through the Last year he really lost loads of weight . He started to get really bad pains in his back and and week by week he got out of bed less and less due to the pain . Every time the Doctor came to the house he called for an ambalance which brought my dad to Blanchardstown Hospital who would give him Pain killers and send him home . On the last time he went to Blanchardstown in servere pain we asked them to fully check him out . They refused saying that it was lack of excerise and lying in bed so long that was causing the pain .

4 weeks later we brought him into Vincents Hospital as we requested they give him a full check up .
Within 24 hr they told us the cancer from his liver had spread to his Vertabrae in his spine . he never left Vincents and died 2 weeks later .
The doctor said that if they had of found it earlier they could have tried treating it maybe to at least ease the pain via Radiation therapy

Midnight_EG · 09-03-2010 09:50PM

Töpher wrote: »

Clowns, did they not realise that you'd probably have delivered by now? :eek:

Did you not realise he's a Mr.?

pirelli · 09-03-2010 10:09PM

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Did you not realise he's a Mr.?

:rolleyes:

Midnight_EG · 09-03-2010 10:10PM

pirelli wrote: »

:rolleyes:

Shhhh.

pirelli · 09-03-2010 10:11PM

Töpher wrote: »

Clowns, did they not realise that you'd probably have delivered by now? :eek:

Midnight_EG wrote: »

Did you not realise he's a Mr.?

DetectivFoxtrot · 09-03-2010 10:20PM

What the fcuk is wrong with this country!!!????

'Process Failure' me arse. As a person who maps processes as part of their job, I fail to see how tests going unchecked en mass can be classed as a process failure. Surely it's petty simple:

Process

Step 1 - Carry out test

Step 2 - Review test results

Step 3 - Document findings and report to GP/patient

How can you do step 1 and 3 and miss 2? HOW??

jesus I'm so annoyed!

dubtom · 09-03-2010 10:24PM

I wonder what will happen now if you insist a consultant looks at your xrays,a very large bill in the post perhaps.
Honestly wouldn't surprise me actually,someone's going to have to pay for that consultant's 1½ minutes.

El Siglo · 09-03-2010 10:30PM

DetectivFoxtrot wrote: »

What the fcuk is wrong with this country!!!????

'Process Failure' me arse. As a person who maps processes as part of their job, I fail to see how tests going unchecked en mass can be classed as a process failure. Surely it's petty simple:

Process

Step 1 - Carry out test

Step 2 - Review test results

Step 3 - Document findings and report to GP/patient

How can you do step 1 and 3 and miss 2? HOW??

jesus I'm so annoyed!

Well because the problem is we've health managers that run hospitals along the lines of this... It's ridiculous, imagine Cubans get better health care than we do. Imagine a 'developing country' has better hospitals than this place? All the money that floated around, it's awful even thinking about it.

OutlawPete · 09-03-2010 10:39PM

Prime Time Special just started on it.

ilovelamp2000 · 09-03-2010 10:43PM

2 mistakes in 57,000 isn't a bad statistic I'd imagine.

shellykbookey · 09-03-2010 10:44PM

I know its nothing as serious as cancer but my brother went into the local casulty years ago with two broken bones in his foot, long story short I ended up waitin with him, x ray taken, sent back to doc in a&e he looks at it and says brother has a sprain. This happened twice more in the same week same doc each time. I was quite young at the time and even I could see where the two bones were broken and when I pointed that out to the doc he said "no my dear your foot is made up of lots of small bones". In the end the radiologist came up to a&e with the xray and asked the doc why she was doing my brother again and why wasnt he in a cast. Brother got a cast and I got told off for sayin I told you so to the doc. Any time I've needed an xray since I've always asked (and once had to demand) to see it, even if I dont know what I'm lookin for it puts the wind up the doc and makes them check. If I ever have to get something serious checked I'm bringing the results to my GP she's the only doc I'd trust

alwaysadub · 09-03-2010 10:53PM

Rosco1982 wrote: »

2 mistakes in 57,000 isn't a bad statistic I'd imagine.

That's 57,000 x rays that the consultants missed in the first place!!!
How is that not a bad statistic???

57,000 X-rays not reviewed by consultant at Tallaght

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