The Southern District Health Board's breast-screening programme is still receiving external support, a report to the hospital advisory committee meeting today says.
The Ministry of Health urgently audited and in April cleared BreastScreen HealthCare of suspicion it had a higher than acceptable rate of false negative diagnostic reads.
An update to the meeting today said the service was still trying to recruit a permanent breast radiologist. The vacancy could result in an "inability to meet service delivery obligations [extending] into service provision for the diagnostic pathway".
A locum radiologist had been contracted from September to March next year.
Counties Manukau DHB continued to provide radiology support for a six-month period. Second and third reads for diagnostic breast radiology were being outsourced.
