Failure to compensate pelvic mesh implant victims ‘morally unacceptable’, say campaigners

The government’s failure to respond to calls for a compensation scheme for women harmed by pelvic mesh has been described as “morally unacceptable” by campaigners.

Thousands of women were left with life-changing complications after receiving transvaginal mesh implants, with some unable to walk or work again.

Saturday marks two years since plans for financial redress for women harmed by pelvic mesh implants were set out by England’s patient safety commissioner, Dr Henrietta Hughes.

However, ministers have made no commitments to providing compensation to women harmed by the medical scandal. The plans, outlined in the 2024 Hughes report, included compensation for children left disabled as a result of their mothers using the epilepsy drug sodium valproate in pregnancy.

The government recently admitted that there was still no timetable to provide compensation for victims affected by pelvic mesh and valproate. Hughes has now pledged to take the matter directly to the prime minister.

Campaigners have said the lack of government action is worsening the mental health of people affected by the scandals.

Kath Sansom, the founder of the advocacy group Sling the Mesh, said: “As every week, month, year passes, women are getting more frustrated, upset. You can’t put their pain on hold. A lot of them have had to give up work or reduce their hours. They’re struggling to make ends meet. We have some members, they’ve had to sell their homes and move in with elderly parents, marriages broken down …

“We see those women at three in the morning trying to put up a post saying, ‘I don’t want to be here any more’ … I’m so angry that these women have their lives ruined and no one is taking accountability by giving them compensation … it’s morally unacceptable.”

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Further reading on the hub:

• Reflections on The Hughes Report: Pelvic mesh, sodium valproate, hormone pregnancy tests and options for redress (a blog from Patient Safety Learning