A HOSPITAL today issued a public apology after the confidential results of health examinations belonging to nine women were sent to a house in Clitheroe by mistake.

The outcome of gynaecological tests on patients from the East Lancashire area were sent to the property after a clerical blunder by Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn.

The female householder received the batch of records that should have gone to a GP, along with her own results from the test.

Pauline Quinn, maternity services manager for Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley NHS Trust, today said she was extremely sorry for what had happened.

She said the incident had occurred as a result of human error and the employee concerned had been left "devastated."

She said: "The records were inadvertently folded along with a letter to a woman at an address in Clitheroe. They were supposed to have gone to a GP.

"This incident is the result of human error and the employee concerned is devastated at what has happened. We are extremely sorry."

Hospital bosses have contacted the Clitheroe householder to apologise and are investigating the incident.

Mrs Quinn added: "We will be looking at the systems in place to make sure that something like this doesn't happen again.

"We have contacted the recipient in Clitheroe to apologise and are in the process of obtaining the results back from her."

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