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Cumberlege Review: Pelvic Mesh
05 December 2024
Lead MP
Christopher Vince
Harlow
Lab Co-op
Responding Minister
Andrew Gwynne
Tags
NHSEmployment
Word Count: 12561
Other Contributors: 8
At a Glance
Christopher Vince raised concerns about cumberlege review: pelvic mesh in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
I urge the government to establish an ex-gratia redress scheme based on restorative practice principles, co-designed with harmed patients, providing both financial and non-financial support. I also ask for a two-stage financial redress scheme to address individual circumstances effectively.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
I am concerned about the significant impact pelvic mesh has had on individuals like Debbie, who experienced chronic pain, fatigue, incontinence, PTSD, severe depression and autoimmune disease after unnecessary operations. The process for removing mesh was also flawed, leaving unresolved medical issues. I noted that it took seven years to reach a court hearing, highlighting delays and barriers victims face when seeking justice. Victims reported a lack of awareness on how to complain, breakdowns in family life, financial strain, loss of identity and persistent guilt.
Alec Shelbrooke
Con
Wetherby and Easingwold
Emphasised the importance of addressing the shortage of surgeons in centres dealing with pelvic mesh issues. Mr Shelbrooke discussed the impact of pelvic mesh on women's lives, highlighting cases where NHS procedures caused long-term suffering. He criticised the lack of accountability in the NHS for these issues and called for more resources to address the problem. Mr Shelbrooke emphasised that removing mesh is extremely difficult and can cause further health complications. He intervened to emphasise the severity of the surgery's effects on women, describing it as a form of 'butchering' with significant long-term impacts.
Anna Dixon
Lab
Shipley
Asked if victims of pelvic mesh scandal should receive no-fault compensation and suggested the NHS should move towards a no-fault scheme to reduce legal costs. Anna Dixon emphasised the importance of learning from past medical scandals and seeking redress for affected women. She highlighted the need to extend the statute of limitations under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 to 20 years for faulty medical devices, such as pelvic mesh. She also urged for stricter regulation on device licensing and professional conduct. She agreed with Alec Shelbrooke's intervention and called for more research into both treatment and remedial effects, citing her professional background in healthcare.
Caroline Johnson
Con
Sleaford and North Hykeham
Expressed sympathy for women affected by pelvic mesh injuries, highlighted the need to focus on helping those affected and preventing future incidents. Suggested that NHS should cover costs of mesh removal when it is due to NHS error. Recommended automatic referral to different surgeons unless patients opt-in otherwise.
Daniel Francis
Lab
Bexleyheath and Crayford
He shared the experience of his constituent Paula who suffered severe complications from pelvic mesh surgery. These included painful bladder stones and erosion into her bladder, leading to a need for multiple major operations that significantly impacted her quality of life.
Julian Lewis
Con
New Forest East
Suggested that patients often feel guilt due to a lack of information about the risks of pelvic mesh procedures at the outset. He suggested that MPs should sign a joint letter to journalist Nick Wallis, who investigated the Post Office Horizon scandal. He questioned the responsibility of pharmaceutical companies in manufacturing mesh and called for research on new techniques for removing eroded surgical mesh. Lewis highlighted thousands of women damaged by pelvic mesh implants, including those facing long waiting lists and mental health issues. He also raised concerns about patients being referred to surgeons who had previously harmed them.
Liz Jarvis
Lib Dem
Eastleigh
She highlighted the devastating impact of pelvic mesh on her constituents, describing cases where women experienced severe pain, infections, and a diminished quality of life. She cited specific statistics, noting that at least 10,000 women in England have been affected, with campaigners suggesting a figure closer to 40,000.
Sarah Green
Lib Dem
Chesham and Amersham
Paid tribute to campaigners for pelvic mesh issues, highlighted the lack of progress on Cumberlege review recommendations, specifically noting that only two out of nine recommendations have been implemented fully. Raised concerns over delays in responding to the Hughes report which suggested options for a redress scheme and expressed frustration with conflicts of interest within the medical profession hindering justice for victims. Questioned the Department's measures to ensure consistent service outcomes across mesh centres.
Sharon Hodgson
Lab
Washington and Gateshead South
The MP highlighted the personal impact of pelvic mesh complications on her mother, who suffered severe health issues after surgery. She thanked campaigners like Kath Sansom from Sling the Mesh for their support. The MP also called for accountability from surgeons responsible for implanting and removing the mesh, as well as the implementation of Baroness Cumberlege's recommendations.
Government Response
Andrew Gwynne
Government Response
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow on securing such an important debate on pelvic mesh and the independent medicines and medical devices safety review, also referred to as the Cumberlege review. We are all privileged to see the noble Lady Baroness Cumberlege in the Public Gallery. We thank her sincerely for the work that she has done over a number of years on women's health, and on this issue in particular. I also thank my hon. Friend for the opportunity to contribute to this vital debate.
I am responding today on behalf of Baroness Merron, who leads on women's health and patient safety in the Department of Health and Social Care. I will try to address as many as I can of the issues that right hon. and hon. Members have raised in this debate. If for any reason I do not get round to addressing something, I will ensure that Baroness Merron, as the Minister responsible, writes to Members.
This debate came about because of a meeting between my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow and one of his constituents, Debbie. As we have heard, Debbie described undergoing a failed procedure to remove vaginal mesh, which has caused her severe pain. She has remained in constant pain since the operation, and I express my deepest sympathy to her for her ongoing experience. It should never have happened.
My predecessor as a Minister, Nadine Dorries, placed on the record in 2020 the previous Government's apology. We are a new Government, so I take this opportunity to make the same apology today on behalf of His Majesty's Government elected on 14 July. This should not have happened, and I say to every single person it has happened to that we are sorry and we have a duty to put things right. That is what this Government will seek to do, and at pace.
This Government will build a system that listens, hears and acts with speed, compassion and proportionality. Complications from vaginal mesh can be devastating and have included severe and chronic pain, recurrent infections, reduced mobility, sexual difficulties and psychological impacts. It can be hard to imagine the avoidable suffering that many women have endured and the damage that has been inflicted on their lives. It is unacceptable that concerns raised by women were not listened to and that women were left to suffer alone. It is vital that we acknowledge those failures and ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated.
I assure the right hon. Member for Wetherby and Easingwold (Sir Alec Shelbrooke) that the 10-year health plan that the Government are consulting on will ensure a better health service for everyone, regardless of their condition or service area. A core part of the development of the 10-year plan, including its approach to women's health, will be an extensive engagement exercise with the public, NHS staff and stakeholders.
We have heard about the nine specialist mesh centres that NHS England has established across England. The intention behind them is that every woman, in every region, who experiences mesh-related complications receives the appropriate support.
I hear the message of my hon. Friend the Member for Shipley (Anna Dixon) that more needs to be done on accessibility, outcomes and listening to women. I agree, and I will take that message back to Baroness Merron.
I share the concerns of the right hon. Member for Wetherby and Easingwold—I thank him for his support on this—about the battles and challenges that lie ahead to get the system right. The Government will consider how we build on existing provision in a sensitive way that meets the needs of the women. At the heart of all we do to try to put things right is addressing the needs of the women involved, and their families, who have been so dramatically affected by what went so tragically wrong.
Each mesh centre is led by a multidisciplinary team that comprises urology, gynaecology and colorectal consultants, in addition to nurses who specialise in a range of things that I am unable to pronounce, and in urology and incontinence, which I can pronounce. Patients also have access to other healthcare professionals, including psychologists, occupational therapists and pelvic floor specialists, to help with pain management.
I recognise the trauma that women have experienced and the vital need to exercise patient choice. That is especially true for women who are rightly concerned about being treated by a surgeon who previously operated on them. I hope that things have moved on since the answer that the right hon. Member for New Forest East (Sir Julian Lewis) received, but I will ensure that what Members have said, with the sincerity and the strength of feeling, is communicated back to Baroness Merron. I agree with the right hon. Gentleman that the process set out in that written ministerial answer is not acceptable. Yes, women have the right to choose treatment from another surgeon, but I actually agree with the shadow Minister that there should be an automatic assumption that their treatment should be done by somebody who did not operate on them previously, unless that woman does not mind. That is a stress and a trauma for many women, and we have to think about their rights.
I also recognise that there is a need to support GPs' knowledge and understanding of pelvic mesh so that they can identify the symptoms of mesh complications and refer patients on to the appropriate services. I do not want any woman to be in the position of my hon. Friend the Member for Washington and Gateshead South, or any other woman who has had her body tampered with in the most inappropriate way, when the procedure was not even necessary, and has suffered lifelong complications as a result. We have to move on at pace.
Following Baroness Cumberlege's recommendations in 2018, the national pause on mesh remains in place for the use of vaginally inserted mesh to treat prolapse and the use of retropubic suburethral mesh sling to treat stress urinary incontinence. That means that mesh can be used only in exceptional cases where clinicians are of the opinion that there is a clinical urgency and no suitable alternative exists. NHS England continues to monitor progress on the conditions associated with the national pause and will only make changes to it linked to clinical advice and following consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, including patients, professional bodies and NHS organisations.
The Cumberlege review made nine recommendations, and the then Government accepted seven. Of those seven, four have been delivered, including the appointment of Dr Henrietta Hughes as the first Patient Safety Commissioner in England, the establishment of nine specialist mesh centres across England and the establishment of a patient reference group. Through our ongoing work, the Government are committed to delivering on the remaining three recommendations.
On redress, I will mention briefly the recommendation set out in the Hughes report, which was published in February. I first thank the Patient Safety Commissioner, Dr Henrietta Hughes, for her commitment to improving patient safety. Although the Government are not yet in a position to comment on the recommendations, I assure Members that we are considering the wide range of work set out in the report. I agree with the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Liz Jarvis) that the previous Government were too slow on that. It is a priority for this Government. We are working at pace, and we remain focused on making meaningful progress. This is a complex area of work, involving several Departments, but we are committed to providing an update at the earliest opportunity. I have heard the desire for urgency today, and I hope that we can make the progress that Members want to see.
I am afraid that I have left my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow 30 seconds to sum up, but I hope we have made some progress.
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