Review complete over West Herts cancer concerns
Madeleine Burton
Published: 6:37 PM March 15, 2014
Cllr Roma Mills stands outside St Albans Hospital which has closed it's hydrotherapy pool - Credit: Archant
A review of hundreds of suspected cancer patients in West Herts who missed their initial outpatient appointment has been completed with no clinical concerns identified.
Last month the West Herts Hospitals Trust (WHHT) revealed that some patients who had not turned up for their initial cancer appointment had been discharged instead of being offered second appointments as they are required to do by NHS rules.
The cases concerned happened between November 2010 and November 2013 and were picked up in a review carried out lby WHHT late last year.
121 patients out of a total of just over 800 had their cases reviewed and this week the trust said that all of them had been contacted to say there had been no clinical concerns about the care they received.
WHHT chief executive Samantha Jones said: "I am pleased to be able to confirm that we have now completed the review of the remaining patients and I am glad that no clinical concerns were identified. However, I would like to apologise again for any unnecessary distress we have caused.
"In addition, I would like to reiterate that we have made significant changes to help prevent this type of error happening again. This includes implementing a new information system to track each patient's appointment, missed appointments and cancellations."
Anyone who still has concerns can call WHHT's dedicated informationline on 01923 217100, which is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, or contact their GP.