Meeting of the Parliament 24 October 2023
I strongly support and echo that. Women need to build back trust. The minister talked about building trust, but the fact that not a single one of Professor Britton’s recommendations have been implemented is absolutely disgraceful.
Effective treatment for mesh-injured women has been a hard-won prize, but serious systemic problems remain. As our amendment highlights, waiting times are far too long. Earlier this year, I raised a case with the minister of a woman who had to wait a shocking 82 weeks simply for referral to the specialist mesh service in Glasgow.
Part of the issue is that the referral pathway—a complex diagram that is clear as mud for most patients—requires women affected by mesh to be seen by a local urogynaecologist for referral to the specialist service in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Their GP must refer them first to the health board, which then refers them onwards; there is no direct pathway.
It is a lengthy process, especially when urogynaecological services are under so much pressure. The process could be much better integrated to reduce waiting times. In the meantime, GPs and other clinicians must become well-versed in how to support women with surgical mesh implants to manage their physical and emotional pain.
Post-operative care in the NHS needs to be more clearly defined for mesh patients when independent providers of surgery are involved. Women have described being in limbo. They do not know whether they have been discharged or whether they require follow-up care. One patient in NHS Tayside, who had her mesh removed at Southmead Hospital in Bristol said:
"Nobody in Scotland has asked if I'm OK. I've had no communication from my health board.”
A mesh register—a longstanding initiative that has yet to be implemented—would help in that regard.
On the reimbursement scheme—welcome though it is—patients have expressed concerns about the pedantic penny counting for treatment that they had to arrange abroad because options were limited closer to home.
The transvaginal mesh scandal has shone a light not just on one particular procedure, but on the way that the healthcare system manages women’s healthcare more widely. Let us not forget why women were given mesh implants in the first place. Often, it was to treat urinary incontinence and pelvic prolapse; they have gone from one trauma to another. There is still so much to be done to ensure that women have equality of care, and that they are listened to and respected by clinicians.
I urge the minister and the Scottish Government to heed the words of Professor Britton:
“After the wealth of knowledge and evidence gathered, it would be an appalling waste if this was not put to good use to prevent future medical scandals.”
This cannot be allowed to happen again.
I move amendment S6M-10915, to leave out from first “notes” to end and insert:
“recognises that waiting times for mesh-injured women accessing the specialist mesh surgical service are significant and that urgent action is required by the Scottish Government and NHS National Services Scotland to reduce long waits; notes with concern that affected women must be seen by a local urogynaecologist within their NHS board before being referred to specialist services and that a GP referral is not available; further notes that the referral pathway is lengthy and complex, especially relating to independent providers and post-operative care; urges the Scottish Government to implement the full recommendations of Professor Britton’s review to improve the support and outcomes available for women affected by surgical mesh, including the implementation of a new register for patients; requires the Scottish Government to report back to the Scottish Parliament on progress towards the implementation of the review’s recommendations, including on how the management of women’s healthcare and the communication of treatment implications are being addressed by NHS boards; seeks assurances that there will be a patient role in shaping how services supporting mesh-injured women are provided, and calls for clarity around the reimbursement arrangements for women who have arranged qualifying mesh removal surgery privately.”
16:09Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.
- S6M-10915 Transvaginal Mesh Motion