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The independent reports into the screening programme were commissioned following the Trust's own conclusions which were published last December. As well as the eight mentioned, a further 11 women's slides were found to have pre-cancerous changes in the cells when they were reviewed and had to receive treatment. All these women had either pre-cancerous changes to their cervix or were diagnosed with another significant gynaecological condition when their smears were reviewed. The Southern Health Trust apologised to all those affected at the time. The review into the screening service was triggered when the diagnoses of three women were investigated as a Serious Adverse Incident (SAI). Two of the women, Lynsey Courtney and Erin Harbinson, have since died. In October 2023, the Southern Trust announced a precautionary review of the cervical screening results of 17,425 women screened between 2008 - 2021. The move was in response to an independent Royal College of Pathologists (RCPATH) report which found "persistent underperformance" in the work of some laboratory screeners.
