The Government continues to fail patients who have suffered harm because of vaginal mesh and Sodium Valproate.
Still No Action for Sodium Valpropate & Vaginal Mesh Victims
A year to this day, Dr Henrietta Hughes, the Patient Safety Commissioner, published a major report making recommendations for redress for vaginal mesh victims and those harmed by Sodium Valproate. In the report, Dr Hughes made ten recommendations to the Government, which included a two-stage financial redress scheme. The first stage was an interim payment, to be paid in 2025, of around £20,000 for women injured by mesh and £100,000 for Sodium Valproate victims, followed by further payments and the provision of non-financial support assessed on an individual basis. While the Government says they remain committed to supporting patients and preventing harm, as yet, no action has been taken despite Dr Hughes’ recommendation that the Government act quickly.
Life-Changing Injuries
Pelvic mesh was once considered the best thing for treating those with incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse and was the preferred option among gynaecologists. However, within a few years, vaginal mesh victims started to report serious problems. These problems included mesh extrusion, where the mesh comes through the skin and tissue of the vaginal wall causing vaginal bleeding, discharge, and pain, as well as mesh erosion that causes injury to surrounding tissue and organs including bladder and bowel damage. These injuries have resulted in difficulties with bladder and bowel function, permanent pain, and an inability to have sexual intercourse. A significant number of patients have required the mesh to be removed surgically, which in itself carries significant risks, including further damage and worsened pain. These are life-changing injuries. Since then, it has become apparent that there was insufficient data available as to the long-term risks of mesh and there were less risky, more conservative options available for treating incontinence and prolapse.
Government Inaction
Sodium Valproate is a medication that has long been used in the UK for the treatment of epilepsy. However, research has shown that the medication can cause physical and neurodevelopmental problems in babies when their mother has taken it during pregnancy. Despite that, it was being prescribed to women of child-bearing age without them receiving the appropriate counselling about the risks to an unborn child.
A year on from Dr Hughes’ report and the Government has done nothing. The BBC reports that Dr Hughes has called it “an injustice” for the thousands of lives destroyed, and a Department of Health and Social Care official has said, “This is a complex area of work, and Health Minister Baroness Gillian Merron met with some of those affected before Christmas and has committed to providing an update to the patient safety commissioner at the earliest opportunity.”
CL Medilaw Comments
Elise Bevan, a partner at CL Medilaw, comments as follows: “We continue to act for patients harmed by vaginal mesh and Sodium Valproate by bringing legal claims for them to obtain the compensation they so badly need. The failure of the Government to provide a redress scheme has left vaginal mesh victims with no option but to take action themselves. No litigation should be embarked on lightly, but we support families through the process to minimise the stress to them. However, in the absence of financial redress for the harm they have suffered, they have no choice but to bring a legal claim to seek the compensation they need. Dr Hughes’ recommendation a year ago was that urgent action needed to be taken, and it is disappointing that the Government simply has not listened. Our clients continue to live with life-changing injuries and are unable to afford the costs of treating and managing these injuries.”
How can we help?
If you have experienced issues following vaginal mesh surgery or as a result of Sodium Valproate, please contact a member of our specialist team, who are readily available for a free, no-obligation discussion to assess your options.
