Cancer cases are hugely undermining the health service

Vicky Phelan was diagnosed with cancer three years after her smear test results of 2011

The HSE’s Open Disclosure Policy 2013 was designed specifically to deal with adverse events in a transparent and open manner. The number of troubling cases that have surfaced in recent times suggest that a duty of candour has not become a reality for some patients. All too often, the instinct is to close ranks.

Last month, the case of Dubliner Alison McCormack came to public attention. In 2010, she noticed a lump in ...