Health chiefs have pledged to get to the bottom of mistakes that led to women wrongly being given the all-clear following breast screening tests in the Isle of Man.

But Health Minister David Ashford said the top priority was helping the woman affected.

Five women had been referred for further examination due to suspicious lesions but were wrongly given the all-clear. That came to light at their next routine screening and, when it was discovered the same radiologist was involved in all the cases, a full review was sparked.

In Tynwald on Tuesday, Health Minister David Ashford repeated his apology to the women who have been affected.

The radiologist no longer works at Noble’s Hospital and the matter is being looked at by the General Medical Council.

Mr Ashford said in his emergency statement: ’In September 2017, it became apparent that some women who had attended assessments in the breast clinic between January 2015 and March 2017 may not have had all the necessary investigations.’

A total of 1,213 cases were subsequently re-examined and, from those, 26 women were found to require further examination. The 26 were being recalled for reassessment.

’As of last night (Monday), 11 of those women have now attended the clinic and had assessments undertaken,’ said Mr Ashford. ’Further clinics are due to take place.’

He added: ’The external review has been rigorous and complex.’

Letters of reassurance have been sent out to the other women whose cases were examined.

A telephone helpline up last week and had already received 132 calls by Monday.

’Most of those calls have been from women who have received routine breast screening during the period and have not been affected by this situation - who have simply been looking for reassurance,’ he said.

’I would like to emphasise once again that this caseload review was in respect of the work of one radiologist and that it does not therefore affect all women seen at the clinic during the time frame, who will have been dealt with by other radiologists.’

Mr Ashford said his department was doing everything possible to ease the distress the mistakes had caused.

’There will be a full investigation into the cause of this issue to establish why practice within one of our services at Noble’s Hospital fell short of the high standards we should all expect,’ he added.

’The department’s first priority must be to respond to the needs of all those affected by the review and ensure they receive the care that they should have been able to expect from the start.

’Anything else is at this stage of secondary importance.’

The minister said it was still vital that women continued to take part in breast screening.

He added there the problems in the Isle of Man were not connected with systems errors that have hit the headlines in the UK, after thousands of eligible women there were denied mammograms.

The minister also emphasised that that the problem in the Isle of Man had nothing to do with the work carried out by the Nightingale Centre in Manchester, which double checks examinations in the Isle of Man.

If the centre confirms a suspicious lesion, it refers the case back to the island for further tests. At that point, a radiologist in the Isle of Man examines the results of those further tests and decide if further action needs to be taken.

It was at that stage that the problem had occurred.

’There has been no failing and no issue with the work undertaken by the Nightingale Centre,’ Mr Ashford said.