Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, If she will make an assessment of the potential impact on women's health of the Government's progress on implementing the recommendations of the report of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review entitled First Do No Harm, published on 8 July 2020.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Patient safety and women’s health is a top priority for this Government.
That’s why since the ‘First Do No Harm’ report we have:
o Appointed England’s first Patient Safety Commissioner
o Setup specialist centres for women impacted by mesh
o Piloted ways doctors can declare their interests
o And launched a national mandatory Medical Device Outcome Registry.
Beyond this, we published the first Women’s Health Strategy for England, which set out our plans for improving how the health and care system listens to women.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review report First Do No Harm, published on 8 July 2020, what discussions they have had regarding the provision of monetary compensation for people adversely affected by clinical and surgical pelvic mesh.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has asked the Patient Safety Commissioner, Dr Henrietta Hughes, to undertake work looking at redress for people harmed by pelvic mesh and sodium valproate. The work is intended to focus on the views of those affected, improving the understanding of how many people have been affected and how, the case for redress and what form it could take.
The Patient Safety Commissioner office has stated that the report setting out the findings from this work is expected to be published on 7 February this year. The Government will consider the report’s findings before deciding how to proceed on this matter.
The Government published its response to the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety review in July 2021, which did not accept the recommendation to establish a redress agency, this position remains unchanged.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the recommendation for an Independent Redress Agency in the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review report First Do No Harm, published on 8 July 2020.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has asked the Patient Safety Commissioner, Dr Henrietta Hughes, to undertake work looking at redress for people harmed by pelvic mesh and sodium valproate. The work is intended to focus on the views of those affected, improving the understanding of how many people have been affected and how, the case for redress and what form it could take.
The Patient Safety Commissioner office has stated that the report setting out the findings from this work is expected to be published on 7 February this year. The Government will consider the report’s findings before deciding how to proceed on this matter.
The Government published its response to the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety review in July 2021, which did not accept the recommendation to establish a redress agency, this position remains unchanged.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to support patients who are awaiting the removal of mesh.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
There are nine specialist mesh centres in operation across England, ensuring that women in every region with complications of mesh inserted for urinary incontinence and vaginal prolapse gets the right support. Each mesh centre is led by a multi-disciplinary team to ensure patients get access to the specialist care and treatment that they need, including pain management and psychological support.
These teams include surgeons, physicians, imaging specialists, nurses, pain specialists, physiotherapists, and clinical psychologists and provide care, treatment and support in line with the standards set out in the published service specification. The Mesh Centres receive patient referrals via the patient’s general pracitioner or through a referral received from a patient’s local hospital or their treating clinician.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2022 to Question 103061 on Surgical Mesh Implants, whether the peer review of the audit has been completed; and if he will publish the final decision of the review.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The retrospective audit of mesh procedures has been completed and will be published in due course.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to her Oral Answer of 25 January 2023, Official Report, column 993, what steps her Department took to ensure those attending the planned meeting were representative of all those affected by mesh injury; and if she will (a) provide details of those who attended the meeting and (b) publish the minutes of that meeting.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
I attended an event to mark the launch of the Patient Safety Commissioner’s 100 days report, which some mesh campaigners also attended. I will meet with these mesh campaigners representing pelvic and rectopexy mesh again on 20 March.
Ministerial meetings are published on GOV.UK at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-overseas-travel-and-meetings
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on when a specialist mesh treatment centre will be operational in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The operation of a specialist mesh treatment centre in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Department of Health and a future Northern Ireland Executive. We have had no recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the subject.
In the absence of an Executive, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has passed legislation that clarifies the powers for Northern Ireland Departments to maintain delivery of public services.
The Government’s immediate priority remains facilitating the restoration of a fully functioning Executive that can progress long-term solutions to transform healthcare in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, in the context of treatment of complications from pelvic mesh implant, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Board requirement that an Extra Contractual Referral is approved and signed by the surgeon responsible for the original mesh implantation on (a) the emotional well-being of the patient making the request, (b) the likelihood of approval and (c) time taken to make a decision on an approval.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has made no assessment on this matter. The treatment of complications from pelvic mesh implants for patients in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Department of Health and the Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Board.
In the absence of an Executive, the Secretary of State has passed legislation that clarifies the powers for Northern Ireland Departments to maintain delivery of public services.
The Government’s immediate priority remains facilitating the restoration of a fully functioning Executive that can progress long-term solutions to transform healthcare in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she expects a specialist mesh treatment centre to be operational in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
This is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Department of Health to respond to.
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of cancellations for (a) appointments and (b) treatments in each mesh treatment centre in each month since January 2021 to date.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The information requested is not collected centrally.