Committee
Public Petitions Committee 24 March 2021
24 Mar 2021 · S5 · Public Petitions Committee
Item of business
Continued Petitions
Polypropylene Mesh Medical Devices (PE1517)
Item 2 is consideration of continued petitions. The first petition, PE1517, which was lodged by Elaine Holmes and Olive McIlroy on behalf of the Scottish Mesh Survivors hear our voice campaign, is on polypropylene mesh medical devices. The petition calls on the Scottish Government to “1. Suspend use of polypropylene Transvaginal Mesh (TVM) procedures; 2. Initiate a Public Inquiry and/or comprehensive independent research to evaluate the safety of mesh devices using all evidence available, including that from across the world; 3. Introduce mandatory reporting of all adverse incidents by health professionals; 4. Set up a Scottish Transvaginal Mesh implant register with view to linking this up with national and international registers; 5. Introduce fully Informed Consent with uniformity throughout Scotland’s Health Boards; and 6. Write to the MHRA and ask that they reclassify TVM devices to heightened alert status to reflect ongoing concerns worldwide.” At the committee’s previous consideration of the petition in February 2021, it agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport in respect of several outstanding issues, including what action the Scottish Government is taking to rebuild the trust and confidence of the petitioners and other mesh survivors who have been disappointed by the way in which it has pursued some of the actions that are called for in the petition, and whether the Scottish Government will agree to the call for a substantial inquiry to examine what happened to the women, in order to understand how their experience fell so short of what it should have been and to ensure that it does not happen again. The committee has received two submissions from the cabinet secretary, and the petitioners have provided a submission. In her submissions, the cabinet secretary highlights the Scottish Government’s on-going engagement with patients. She explains that the new specialist pelvic mesh removal service will provide a holistic service to patients, and that the service will be shaped by the views of and feedback from the women using it. Although the cabinet secretary hopes that women will have confidence in the new service, she recognises that that may not be the case. To that end, women will be able to have care from surgeons in NHS England. In recognition that some women may wish to be treated by a surgeon outwith the national health service, she confirms that “NHS National Services Scotland intends, at the earliest opportunity, to issue an invitation to tender for specified mesh removal services”, which will “provide an additional option for patients that will include the possibility of referral outside the NHS, which includes the possibility of referral outside the UK.” I welcome John Scott, Jackson Carlaw and Neil Findlay to the committee for consideration of the petition. Before I ask committee members for their comments, I will go to our visitors, starting with Jackson Carlaw.
In the same item of business
The Convener
Lab
Item 2 is consideration of continued petitions. The first petition, PE1517, which was lodged by Elaine Holmes and Olive McIlroy on behalf of the Scottish Mes...
Jackson Carlaw (Eastwood) (Con)
Con
Thank you, convener, for your engagement with the petition in the course of this parliamentary session. As this is the final day of the session, the final me...
John Scott (Ayr) (Con)
Con
I am grateful to the committee for allowing me to speak at the final meeting of the session of the Public Petitions Committee. Further to what Jackson Carla...
Neil Findlay (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
The work of the Public Petitions Committee has been hugely important and influential during the past eight years and I plead with the committee not to close ...
The Convener
Lab
I thank all three of you, who will I am sure be living in happy coexistence post-election. For my part, I think that the petition is a huge issue. There are...
Gail Ross (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP)
SNP
I thank our family of campaigners, some of whom have joined us today, for all their work. I include Alex Neil in that as well. In relation to everything tha...
Maurice Corry (West Scotland) (Con)
Con
I thank the petitioners for keeping going with this long-standing petition. It is immensely important that we get it resolved as soon as possible. John Scott...
David Torrance (Kirkcaldy) (SNP)
SNP
As someone who was on the Public Petitions Committee in the previous parliamentary session when the petition was first submitted, I thought that progress wou...
Tom Mason (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
I agree with pretty much everything that has been said. These ladies have been let down for so long, and it is so important that we maintain the momentum to ...
The Convener
Lab
Does any of our visiting colleagues wish to add anything?
John Scott
Con
I am sorry; I do not appear to be able to make the chat function work. I agree with members that the petition should be passed to the next health committee....
Neil Findlay
Lab
I thank everyone for their helpful comments. It is of course up to this committee to request that the next health committee takes on the petition and carries...
Gail Ross
SNP
On Neil Findlay’s point, I had not really thought about that possibility previously. We would need to get advice but, if the petition goes from here to anoth...
The Convener
Lab
We are getting a wee bit ahead of ourselves. All petitions come back to the Public Petitions Committee ahead of the end of a session. We get reports back fro...
The Convener
Lab
I again thank our visiting MSPs. It has been an absolute privilege for me as a committee convener to welcome you to so many meetings. The work of the Public ...