Campaign group disappointed by lack of action by NHS over mesh devices

A report has been released by the NHS on the use of vaginal mesh implants in women following controversy surrounding the devices. Campaign group disappointed at the lack of action by NHS.

The Mesh Oversight Group Report was released in response to the 2015 Mesh Working Group Interim Report.

Both reports are about the use of the devices to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in women.

The report states that the devices are a safe option for women suffering from SUI and POP which can occur following childbirth. A number of women across the world have spoken out about the pain they’ve experienced because of the implants. More so, a number of court cases have been launched again Johnson & Johnson, a high-profile manufacturer of the device.  

A number of recommendations are made in the report to help improve the information surrounding the use of the device and also the consent process of treatment involving the implants.

In particular the report states that improvements should be made to surgical practice and training, clinical guidance and standards should be updated and GPs should be made aware of any post-operative problems. Women should also have greater access to clinical expertise.

The report goes on to state that any problems caused by the implants should have improved recording processes for a larger picture of the seriousness of the issue. Women should also be made more aware of the pros and cons of the treatment option. Patient information leaflets will be made available at GP practices.

Other developments include changes to the way surgery is recorded by hospitals and surgeons, and named units where a multi-disciplinary team of health professionals can advise women who are experiencing problems.

In the report, professor Keith Willett says: “It is right and proper for those who deliver, lead and regulate health care to listen to patients’ concerns and work with all parties to resolve them. A programme of work was initiated in response to concerns from women who developed complications following surgery using vaginal mesh devices to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and treat pelvic organ prolapse (POP). These women felt their concerns had been ignored. I recognised there were issues to be addressed.”

Willett goes on to say that the recent report should be read in conjunction with the Independent Review of Transvaginal Mesh Implants in Scotland which had its final release in March 2017.

The Sling The Mesh campaign group, set up to raise awareness over the controversy that surrounds the devices, has responded to the NHS report. The campaign group is disappointed over the lack of progress from the NHS about the use of the mesh devices. 

Kath Sansom, who launched Sling The Mesh two years ago, said: "They should have looked at product safety, not at ways to fix women once things have gone wrong. How can a major study of mesh not look at mesh safety? It is a whitewash. The NHS paid lip service to patient reps. Mesh implants are the only operation done blind, using large hooks to put in plastic that can then shrink, twist or degrade inside the body. But nobody has explored that. When mesh goes wrong it is a personal tragedy for the woman and her family. There are black holes in data collection so nobody knows how many are suffering. Until there is a national register, nobody has a clue of how great this scandal is.”

Labour MP Owen Smith, who this month set up an All Party Parliamentary Group into mesh, said: “Mesh-injured women will be deeply disappointed by the outcomes of the final NHS England review, which seems to have made little progress since its interim report came out over a year ago.

“This was an opportunity for the NHS to take a lead and recommend a pause in the use of mesh until we know precisely how many women have been adversely affected by the product. Instead, they appear content to allow mesh to be widely used despite growing, international concerns about its potential ill effects.

“The only people pleased with this report will be the medical device companies who marketed mesh so diligently and who now fear mass litigation. Many companies have already taken their mesh products off the market, that alone should tell us something is not right with these devices.”