Meeting details
Date of meeting
Wednesday 10 September 2025
Time of meeting
11am to 1pm
Meeting format
MS teams meeting
Members Present
Dr Jennifer Martin (JM, Deputy Chair), Director of National Health Service Improvement, Public Health
Ms Lorraine Schwanberg (LS), Assistant National Director, Incident Management, The National Quality and Patient Safety Directorate
Dr Alissa Connors (AC), Chair BreastCheck Quality Assurance Committee
Mr Andleeb Zafar (AZ), Chair Diabetic RetinaScreen Quality Assurance Committee
Dr Louise Campbell (LC), Irish College of General Practitioners Representative
Ms Fran Devlin (FD), Patient and Public Partnership Representative
In attendance
Ms Colette Brett (CB), Head of Quality, Safety and Risk, NSS
Dr Noirin Russell (NR), Clinical Director, CervicalCheck, NSS
Ms Mary-Jo Biggs (MJB), Interim Programme Manager, CervicalCheck, NSS
Ms Margaret McGarry (MMcG), Incident Management, The National Quality and Patient Safety Directorate
Ms Fiona Ness (FN), General Manager, Communications, NSS
Ms Karolina Guzek (KG), Quality, Safety and Risk Executive Officer, NSS - Secretariat
Apologies
Members:
Dr Deirdre Mulholland (DM, Chair), Area Director of Public Health
Dr Caroline Mason Mohan (CMM), Director of Public Health, NSS
Ms Jan Yates (JY), Chair CervicalCheck Quality Assurance Committee
Attendees:
Ms Grainne Gleeson (GG), Programme Manager, BreastCheck, NSS
Prof Pádraic Mac Mathúna (PMcM), Clinical Director, BowelScreen, NSS
Dr David Keegan (DK), Clinical Director, Diabetic RetinaScreen, NSS
Ms Hilary Coffey (HC), Programme Manager, BowelScreen, NSS
Meeting minutes
1. Welcome, introduction and apologies
The Deputy Chair welcomed meeting attendees. Apologies for the meeting were noted.
CB informed members that Ms GG has taken on the role of BreastCheck Programme Manager and also welcomed Ms MJB, Interim CervicalCheck Programme Manager, as a new attendee.
CB advised that Dr Deirdre Mulholland’s term as committee chair ended in June and proposed Dr Jennifer Martin as her successor. The proposal was unanimously supported by members.
Dr Martin advised she would assist in identifying a volunteer to join the committee as a Public Health representative.
2. Conflicts of interest
There were no conflicts of interest to be noted.
3. Minutes of meeting 4 June 2025
Minutes of the previous meeting were reviewed and approved by the Committee.
4. Cross-programme review
BreastCheck Programme Review Q2, 2025
- Update given by BreastCheck Quality Assurance Committee chair and acknowledged, including information on launch of multiple projects to reduce delays in inviting women for screening and increasing service capacity.
- AC informed members that BreastCheck recently celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special event, which was attended by Minister for Health, alongside current and former staff, patient representatives, and advocacy groups.
- It was noted that, depending on the region, most first screening appointments invites are sent within 18 to 24 months of a woman becoming eligible. The committee was reminded BreastCheck manages the participant pathway including surgery.
- AC provided an update on ongoing recruitment challenges within BreastCheck. It was noted that the rolling ads are in place for radiographers and radiologists and mitigations are in place to minimise any disruptions to services due to vacancies.
CervicalCheck Programme Review Q2, 2025
- Update given by CervicalCheck Clinical Director and Programme Manager, and acknowledged, including progress on the validation of all cervical screening sample takers to ensure the accuracy of records.
- NR outlined the adjustments to the timing of invitations to manage peaks and troughs expected over the next 2 years on account of the transition to HPV primary screening and the COVID-19 pause in 2020. NR also noted the screening between January and June exceeded targets by nearly 40%.
- NR confirmed that the Exit HPV Testing Project has concluded, and starting mid-February 2025, programme laboratories will no longer accept samples from women over the age of 66.
- Members queried potential decline in screening rates, as the HPV vaccinated cohort enters the programme. NR responded that programme management is aware of this risk; however, public communications continue to emphasise the importance of attending screening even for those who have received the HPV vaccine.
- Action: CervicalCheck Annual Report 2022-2023 to be included in the next meeting pack for information.
BowelScreen Programme Review Q2, 2025
- Update presented by CB and acknowledged, noting that staffing levels have settled following the successful completion of recent recruitment campaigns.
- It was reported that, as of 1 April 2025, the eligible age range has been expanded to include individuals aged 70. A further extension to include 58-year-olds is scheduled for October.
- CB reiterated that increasing programme uptake remains a key priority, with current uptake rates of approximately 45%.
- Members discussed different uptake in comparison to other Irish screening programmes. It was noted that the multiple steps required before participants receive a FIT kit may contribute to this issue. Members also noted that public awareness of bowel screening is lower than that of breast and cervical screening.
- The role of General Practitioners in promoting awareness and normalising bowel screening was highlighted. CB shared that the focus of NSS presentation at the upcoming Irish College of General Practitioners meeting will include how GPs can support NSS efforts to improve screening uptake.
DiabeticRetina Screen Programme Review Q2, 2025
- Update given by Diabetic RetinaScreen Quality Assurance Committee chair and acknowledged, noting that staffing levels have improved following the successful completion of recent recruitment campaigns.
- Members engaged in discussion regarding the potential impact of medications on diabetic retinal diseases. Members agreed that the most effective way to measure the impact of these medications on population would be through a centrally accessible register of people with diabetes.
5. NSS Quality, Safety and Risk (QSR) Information report
Quality, Safety and Risk Review Q2, 2025
- Update given by CB and acknowledged, including update on projects and initiatives led by Quality, Safety and Risk and Information Governance teams, as well as concerns about how staffing shortages within the Quality, Safety and Risk department are negatively affecting progress of this work.
- CB reminded members about the HSE Maturity Compliance, which aims to identify and improve monitoring and assurance activities performed and which reflects how advanced and embedded the compliance practices are within an organisation. Currently, the NSS holds a rating of 15, close to the highest rating of “established” (16 – 18 points). This high rating is partly due to NSS having Quality Assurance Framework, Programme Quality Assurance standards and Quality Manual in place.
- CB highlighted that NSS staff being on a separate IT platform to HSE presents risk, particularly in relation to receiving timely updates on new or revised policies, mandatory training requirements and other relevant matters. CB proposed this is being examined to possibly add as a risk to the Corporate Risk Register.
Quality, Safety and Risk Dashboard Q2, 2025
- Update given by CB and acknowledged, including noting meeting with statistician to explore ways of presenting data in more meaningful way. Any changes to the dashboards will be implemented in Q1 2026.
- CB explained that the noticeable increase in Stage 1 complaints during Q2 was due to a change in the internal reporting process to ensure all feedback is captured, which has since been fully embedded.
- CB noted that the NSS ICT QA Coordinator is now in post, and all outstanding recommendations are expected to be progressed over the coming months.
- CB updated members on the ongoing HSE Procurement Audit covering both the NSS and Regional Health Areas, noting that Phase 1 has been completed. CB also mentioned that the final report will be shared with members if it includes any specific recommendations for the NSS.
NSS Risk Management
- Update given by CB and acknowledged.
- Action: CB noted that risk register dashboards will be incorporated into the dashboard going forward, and any risks with a score above 15 will be reviewed as part of the quarterly update reports.
6. NSS Stakeholder update
The National Screening Service stakeholders’ updates were shared with the committee members for noting.
7. Actions update
All actions reviewed and updated on the Action Log.
8. Presentation: NSS Communications strategy 2023-2027: Delivering health-positive communications to empower people to make informed decisions about screening
FN, General Manager of Communications, Engagement and Information Development in NSS emphasised how the communications strategy is closely aligned with NSS values, and focuses on openness, trust, transparency, and a commitment to listening to the public.
The importance of using plain and simple language in all communications to ensure clarity and accessibility was highlighted. FN stressed that the NSS aims to be a people-centred organisation, that focuses on empathetic and accessible communication rather than formal, corporate language.
All external communications are published through the NSS corporate website and the four programme-specific websites. The public and patient partnership (PPP) is also embedded across various aspects of NSS work. PPP Committee is now well established, with PPP representatives actively involved in various NSS committees, the contributions of whom are highly valued.
FN stressed that internal communications are also a key priority. These include regular bulletins, town hall meetings and monthly newsletter, which all play an essential role in keeping staff informed and engaged.
FN spoke about the NSS Communications Toolkit, a resource recently developed by the Communications Department to support staff in creating clear, consistent, and effective written communications. The toolkit helps align messaging with the NSS values of care, compassion, trust and learning, ensures a consistent tone and style is used by staff, and supports staff in writing across different formats such as websites, blogs, newsletters, reports and public information.
Committee members acknowledged and appreciated the work that went into developing the NSS Communications Strategy and the efforts made to support staff in creating clear and consistent communications.
9. AOB
CB confirmed that Dr Alan Smith, Consultant in Public Health Medicine with the National Screening Service, has been invited to the next meeting to update the committee on ongoing work related to Artificial Intelligence.
10. Date of next meeting
Monday 8 December 2025