Latest news with #FirstDoNoHarm
Daily Record
16-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Primodos campaigners have said the government is failing women five years on from a review into the scandal
Five years after an independent review found regulators failed and were responsible for 'avoidable harm' campaigners say they are still waiting for justice. Campaigners who blame hormone pregnancy test for harming their unborn babies have said the government is failing women five years on from a review into the scandal. Primodos was taken off the market in 1978 – after 1.5million women had taken it. A 2020 independent review, First Do No Harm, found regulators failed and were responsible for 'avoidable harm'. How the NHS responded to fears over Primodos as well as pelvic mesh – linked to chronic pain – and anti-epilepsy drug sodium valproate were also reviewed. Five years on, campaigners are still waiting for justice. Wilma Ord, 77, of Livingston, took Primodos in 1970. Her daughter Kirsteen, 54, is deaf, severely asthmatic and has cerebral palsy. She said: 'Families can't wait any longer for justice, help or support.' Marie Lyon, of the Association for Children Damaged by Hormone Pregnancy Tests, added: 'The IMMDS review concluded Primodos should have been removed in 1967. It was removed in 1978, due to failures of the UK regulator to acknowledge hundreds of warnings they had received since 1958 of concerns about severe adverse effects on unborn babies. 'Since the report, 61 of our members have died without receiving justice. How can government bodies be so inhuman as to delay justice in the knowledge many of our families are elderly.' Campaigner group Sling the Mesh accused governments of 'dragging their feet'. It said there had been no audit to gauge the harm caused by mesh or compensation and few recommendations had been implemented. The group's Kath Sansom said: 'The institutional inertia amplifies the suffering – especially the lack of compensation for harm caused to thousands of women who innocently trusted their doctor they were receiving a safe treatment.' Sharon Hodgson, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on First Do No Harm – Mesh, Primodos, Valproate said: 'This little progress is hugely disappointing.' In 2023, Primodos campaigners lost a High Court battle for compensation – leaving the claimants potentially liable for costs. Manufacturer Schering, now part of Bayer, has denied a link. Expressing sympathy with those who believe they suffered following the use of hormone pregnancy tests and pelvic mesh, the Department of Health and Social Care said: 'The government is considering the Patient Safety Commissioner's recommendations in full.' Bayer said: 'Bayer maintains that no significant new scientific knowledge has been produced that would call into question the validity of the previous assessment of there being no link between the use of Primodos and the occurrence of such congenital anomalies.'
STV News
08-07-2025
- Health
- STV News
Mesh victims ‘still fighting for justice' five years on from review
Women harmed by vaginal mesh are 'still fighting for justice', campaigners have said on the fifth anniversary of a review into the scandal. Sling the Mesh, a campaign group representing women harmed by mesh, accused governments of 'dragging their feet' on implementing all the recommendations set out in the report. The review examined how the health service responded to concerns over pelvic mesh – which has been linked to crippling, life-changing complications including chronic pain, infections and loss of sex life; the anti-epilepsy drug sodium valproate – which has been linked to physical malformations, autism and developmental delay in many children when it is taken by their mothers during pregnancy, and hormone pregnancy tests such as Primodos – which are thought to be associated with birth defects and miscarriages. It concluded that patients came to 'avoidable harm' because the healthcare system failed to respond in a speedy and appropriate way when serious concerns were raised about some medical treatments. The First Do No Harm review, published in 2020, found patients were 'dismissed' and 'overlooked', while the healthcare system had a 'glacial' and 'defensive' response to concerns over treatments. It set out a series of recommendations, but campaigners have said that to date, some three of the nine recommendations set out in the review have been implemented. Sling the Mesh said that the Government had not done a retrospective audit to gauge the scale of the harm caused by mesh implants or provided compensation for women injured as a result. It also said that ministers had not delivered on a recommendation to reform the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).f Kath Sansom, founder of the Sling The Mesh campaign, said: 'It's not good enough. Five years ago, Baroness Cumberlege laid bare the systemic failures that caused irreparable harm to women across the UK. 'Yet here we are in 2025, and the Government has dragged its feet on the most critical reforms. 'Women are without compensation and still being failed by a healthcare system that was supposed to protect them.' MP Sharon Hodgson, chairwoman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for First Do No Harm, said: 'To have this little progress five years on from the publication of the report is hugely disappointing. 'Five years ago today, things felt hopeful. The review marked what we thought would be the beginning of real systematic change, the start of building a system that listens to women when they report harm – an end to defensiveness and denial. 'Yet progress can only be seen in three out of the nine changes she proposed, with one still ongoing – leaving five completely untouched. 'Crucially, thousands of women and families who were irreversibly harmed through no fault of their own are yet to see compensation. 'Money will not make up for all they have endured. However, it would at the least remove the financial burden placed on their lives – helping them to navigate the physical, mental and financial impact these scandals have placed upon them and their families. 'Five years on, the time for excuses is over. We need action now and I call on my Government to implement all the recommendations, including updating the House on a timeline for compensation as soon as possible.' Rebekah Smith, Epilepsy Action's chief executive, said: 'It is a scandal that as far back as 35 years, thousands of women with epilepsy weren't being told about the risks involved with taking valproate in pregnancy when evidence was mounting. These women have had to live with the reality of that for decades and the huge emotional and financial impact it has on their lives. 'It is also a scandal that two reports in the last five years have recommended that families be compensated for the ordeal and yet those affected are still waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel.' Nicola Swanborough, head of external affairs at the Epilepsy Society, said: 'Five years after the publication of the Cumberlege Review, we welcome the fact that regulations have been tightened around the prescribing of valproate for women with epilepsy, reducing the risk of harm for the next generation. 'But for the families whose lives have been devastated by the side effects of valproate, there has still been no promise of the compensation that they have long campaigned for, and which was recommended by the Patient Safety Commissioner.' One of the key recommendations of the report was the appointment of a Patient Safety Commissioner, who would be an 'independent public leader with a statutory responsibility'. A commissioner was appointed, but following the Government's 10-year plan for health last week, it has been confirmed that this role will be transferred into the MHRA. Ms Sansom said: 'Moving the Patient Safety Commissioner role to the MHRA silences the patient voice instead of strengthening it. 'It strips away independence, undermines trust, and betrays the very women this role was created to protect.' Earlier this month, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that patients do not need 'ventriloquists' from arm's length bodies to speak for them, and more weight should be given to the likes of MPs and councillors. Streeting suggested the patient safety landscape is 'cluttered', with NHS leaders receiving 'competing and contradictory instructions' from different organisations. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'The harm caused by pelvic mesh continues to be felt today. Our sympathies are with those affected and we are fully focused on how best to support patients and prevent future harm. 'This is a complex area of work and the Government is carefully considering the Patient Safety Commissioner's recommendations in full. 'Health Minister Baroness Gillian Merron met patients affected and has committed to providing a further update.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
South Wales Guardian
08-07-2025
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
Mesh victims ‘still fighting for justice' five years on from review
Sling the Mesh, a campaign group representing women harmed by mesh, accused governments of 'dragging their feet' on implementing all the recommendations set out in the report. The review examined how the health service responded to concerns over pelvic mesh – which has been linked to crippling, life-changing complications including chronic pain, infections and loss of sex life; the anti-epilepsy drug sodium valproate – which has been linked to physical malformations, autism and developmental delay in many children when it is taken by their mothers during pregnancy, and hormone pregnancy tests such as Primodos – which are thought to be associated with birth defects and miscarriages. It concluded that patients came to 'avoidable harm' because the healthcare system failed to respond in a speedy and appropriate way when serious concerns were raised about some medical treatments. The First Do No Harm review, published in 2020, found patients were 'dismissed' and 'overlooked', while the healthcare system had a 'glacial' and 'defensive' response to concerns over treatments. It set out a series of recommendations, but campaigners have said that to date, some three of the nine recommendations set out in the review have been implemented. Sling the Mesh said that the Government had not done a retrospective audit to gauge the scale of the harm caused by mesh implants or provided compensation for women injured as a result. I welcome this reply from the new Minister for Patient Safety re the Hughes report recommendations. The government now needs to act quickly to provide redress for those harmed – see the letter at #redressnow — Patient Safety Commissioner (@PSCommissioner) August 19, 2024 It also said that ministers had not delivered on a recommendation to reform of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Kath Sansom, founder of the Sling The Mesh campaign, said: 'It's not good enough. Five years ago, Baroness Cumberlege laid bare the systemic failures that caused irreparable harm to women across the UK. 'Yet here we are in 2025, and the Government has dragged its feet on the most critical reforms. 'Women are without compensation and still being failed by a healthcare system that was supposed to protect them.' MP Sharon Hodgson, chairwoman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for First Do No Harm, said: 'To have this little progress five years on from the publication of the report is hugely disappointing. 'Five years ago today, things felt hopeful. The review marked what we thought would be the beginning of real systematic change, the start of building a system that listens to women when they report harm – an end to defensiveness and denial. 'Yet progress can only be seen in three out of the nine changes she proposed, with one still ongoing – leaving five completely untouched. 'Crucially, thousands of women and families who were irreversibly harmed through no fault of their own are yet to see compensation. 'Money will not make up for all they have endured. However, it would at the least remove the financial burden placed on their lives – helping them to navigate the physical, mental and financial impact these scandals have placed upon them and their families. 'Five years on, the time for excuses is over. We need action now and I call on my Government to implement all the recommendations, including updating the House on a timeline for compensation as soon as possible.' Rebekah Smith, Epilepsy Action's chief executive, said: 'It is a scandal that as far back as 35 years, thousands of women with epilepsy weren't being told about the risks involved with taking valproate in pregnancy when evidence was mounting. These women have had to live with the reality of that for decades and the huge emotional and financial impact it has on their lives. 'It is also a scandal that two reports in the last five years have recommended that families be compensated for the ordeal and yet those affected are still waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel.' Nicola Swanborough, head of external affairs at the Epilepsy Society, said: 'Five years after the publication of the Cumberlege Review, we welcome the fact that regulations have been tightened around the prescribing of valproate for women with epilepsy, reducing the risk of harm for the next generation. 'But for the families whose lives have been devastated by the side effects of valproate, there has still been no promise of the compensation that they have long campaigned for, and which was recommended by the Patient Safety Commissioner.' One of the key recommendations of the report was the appointment of a Patient Safety Commissioner, who would be an 'independent public leader with a statutory responsibility'. A commissioner was appointed, but following the Government's 10-year plan for health last week, it has been confirmed that this role will be transferred into the MHRA. Ms Sansom said: 'Moving the Patient Safety Commissioner role to the MHRA silences the patient voice instead of strengthening it. 'It strips away independence, undermines trust, and betrays the very women this role was created to protect.' Earlier this month, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that patients do not need 'ventriloquists' from arm's length bodies to speak for them, and more weight should be given to the likes of MPs and councillors. Mr Streeting suggested the patient safety landscape is 'cluttered', with NHS leaders receiving 'competing and contradictory instructions' from different organisations. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'The harm caused by pelvic mesh continues to be felt today. Our sympathies are with those affected and we are fully focused on how best to support patients and prevent future harm. 'This is a complex area of work and the Government is carefully considering the Patient Safety Commissioner's recommendations in full. 'Health Minister Baroness Gillian Merron met patients affected and has committed to providing a further update.'
Glasgow Times
08-07-2025
- Health
- Glasgow Times
Mesh victims ‘still fighting for justice' five years on from review
Sling the Mesh, a campaign group representing women harmed by mesh, accused governments of 'dragging their feet' on implementing all the recommendations set out in the report. The review examined how the health service responded to concerns over pelvic mesh – which has been linked to crippling, life-changing complications including chronic pain, infections and loss of sex life; the anti-epilepsy drug sodium valproate – which has been linked to physical malformations, autism and developmental delay in many children when it is taken by their mothers during pregnancy, and hormone pregnancy tests such as Primodos – which are thought to be associated with birth defects and miscarriages. It concluded that patients came to 'avoidable harm' because the healthcare system failed to respond in a speedy and appropriate way when serious concerns were raised about some medical treatments. The First Do No Harm review, published in 2020, found patients were 'dismissed' and 'overlooked', while the healthcare system had a 'glacial' and 'defensive' response to concerns over treatments. It set out a series of recommendations, but campaigners have said that to date, some three of the nine recommendations set out in the review have been implemented. Sling the Mesh said that the Government had not done a retrospective audit to gauge the scale of the harm caused by mesh implants or provided compensation for women injured as a result. I welcome this reply from the new Minister for Patient Safety re the Hughes report recommendations. The government now needs to act quickly to provide redress for those harmed – see the letter at #redressnow — Patient Safety Commissioner (@PSCommissioner) August 19, 2024 It also said that ministers had not delivered on a recommendation to reform of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Kath Sansom, founder of the Sling The Mesh campaign, said: 'It's not good enough. Five years ago, Baroness Cumberlege laid bare the systemic failures that caused irreparable harm to women across the UK. 'Yet here we are in 2025, and the Government has dragged its feet on the most critical reforms. 'Women are without compensation and still being failed by a healthcare system that was supposed to protect them.' MP Sharon Hodgson, chairwoman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for First Do No Harm, said: 'To have this little progress five years on from the publication of the report is hugely disappointing. 'Five years ago today, things felt hopeful. The review marked what we thought would be the beginning of real systematic change, the start of building a system that listens to women when they report harm – an end to defensiveness and denial. 'Yet progress can only be seen in three out of the nine changes she proposed, with one still ongoing – leaving five completely untouched. 'Crucially, thousands of women and families who were irreversibly harmed through no fault of their own are yet to see compensation. 'Money will not make up for all they have endured. However, it would at the least remove the financial burden placed on their lives – helping them to navigate the physical, mental and financial impact these scandals have placed upon them and their families. 'Five years on, the time for excuses is over. We need action now and I call on my Government to implement all the recommendations, including updating the House on a timeline for compensation as soon as possible.' Rebekah Smith, Epilepsy Action's chief executive, said: 'It is a scandal that as far back as 35 years, thousands of women with epilepsy weren't being told about the risks involved with taking valproate in pregnancy when evidence was mounting. These women have had to live with the reality of that for decades and the huge emotional and financial impact it has on their lives. 'It is also a scandal that two reports in the last five years have recommended that families be compensated for the ordeal and yet those affected are still waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel.' Nicola Swanborough, head of external affairs at the Epilepsy Society, said: 'Five years after the publication of the Cumberlege Review, we welcome the fact that regulations have been tightened around the prescribing of valproate for women with epilepsy, reducing the risk of harm for the next generation. 'But for the families whose lives have been devastated by the side effects of valproate, there has still been no promise of the compensation that they have long campaigned for, and which was recommended by the Patient Safety Commissioner.' One of the key recommendations of the report was the appointment of a Patient Safety Commissioner, who would be an 'independent public leader with a statutory responsibility'. A commissioner was appointed, but following the Government's 10-year plan for health last week, it has been confirmed that this role will be transferred into the MHRA. Ms Sansom said: 'Moving the Patient Safety Commissioner role to the MHRA silences the patient voice instead of strengthening it. 'It strips away independence, undermines trust, and betrays the very women this role was created to protect.' Earlier this month, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that patients do not need 'ventriloquists' from arm's length bodies to speak for them, and more weight should be given to the likes of MPs and councillors. Mr Streeting suggested the patient safety landscape is 'cluttered', with NHS leaders receiving 'competing and contradictory instructions' from different organisations. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'The harm caused by pelvic mesh continues to be felt today. Our sympathies are with those affected and we are fully focused on how best to support patients and prevent future harm. 'This is a complex area of work and the Government is carefully considering the Patient Safety Commissioner's recommendations in full. 'Health Minister Baroness Gillian Merron met patients affected and has committed to providing a further update.'
North Wales Chronicle
08-07-2025
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
Mesh victims ‘still fighting for justice' five years on from review
Sling the Mesh, a campaign group representing women harmed by mesh, accused governments of 'dragging their feet' on implementing all the recommendations set out in the report. The review examined how the health service responded to concerns over pelvic mesh – which has been linked to crippling, life-changing complications including chronic pain, infections and loss of sex life; the anti-epilepsy drug sodium valproate – which has been linked to physical malformations, autism and developmental delay in many children when it is taken by their mothers during pregnancy, and hormone pregnancy tests such as Primodos – which are thought to be associated with birth defects and miscarriages. It concluded that patients came to 'avoidable harm' because the healthcare system failed to respond in a speedy and appropriate way when serious concerns were raised about some medical treatments. The First Do No Harm review, published in 2020, found patients were 'dismissed' and 'overlooked', while the healthcare system had a 'glacial' and 'defensive' response to concerns over treatments. It set out a series of recommendations, but campaigners have said that to date, some three of the nine recommendations set out in the review have been implemented. Sling the Mesh said that the Government had not done a retrospective audit to gauge the scale of the harm caused by mesh implants or provided compensation for women injured as a result. I welcome this reply from the new Minister for Patient Safety re the Hughes report recommendations. The government now needs to act quickly to provide redress for those harmed – see the letter at #redressnow — Patient Safety Commissioner (@PSCommissioner) August 19, 2024 It also said that ministers had not delivered on a recommendation to reform of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Kath Sansom, founder of the Sling The Mesh campaign, said: 'It's not good enough. Five years ago, Baroness Cumberlege laid bare the systemic failures that caused irreparable harm to women across the UK. 'Yet here we are in 2025, and the Government has dragged its feet on the most critical reforms. 'Women are without compensation and still being failed by a healthcare system that was supposed to protect them.' MP Sharon Hodgson, chairwoman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for First Do No Harm, said: 'To have this little progress five years on from the publication of the report is hugely disappointing. 'Five years ago today, things felt hopeful. The review marked what we thought would be the beginning of real systematic change, the start of building a system that listens to women when they report harm – an end to defensiveness and denial. 'Yet progress can only be seen in three out of the nine changes she proposed, with one still ongoing – leaving five completely untouched. 'Crucially, thousands of women and families who were irreversibly harmed through no fault of their own are yet to see compensation. 'Money will not make up for all they have endured. However, it would at the least remove the financial burden placed on their lives – helping them to navigate the physical, mental and financial impact these scandals have placed upon them and their families. 'Five years on, the time for excuses is over. We need action now and I call on my Government to implement all the recommendations, including updating the House on a timeline for compensation as soon as possible.' Rebekah Smith, Epilepsy Action's chief executive, said: 'It is a scandal that as far back as 35 years, thousands of women with epilepsy weren't being told about the risks involved with taking valproate in pregnancy when evidence was mounting. These women have had to live with the reality of that for decades and the huge emotional and financial impact it has on their lives. 'It is also a scandal that two reports in the last five years have recommended that families be compensated for the ordeal and yet those affected are still waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel.' Nicola Swanborough, head of external affairs at the Epilepsy Society, said: 'Five years after the publication of the Cumberlege Review, we welcome the fact that regulations have been tightened around the prescribing of valproate for women with epilepsy, reducing the risk of harm for the next generation. 'But for the families whose lives have been devastated by the side effects of valproate, there has still been no promise of the compensation that they have long campaigned for, and which was recommended by the Patient Safety Commissioner.' One of the key recommendations of the report was the appointment of a Patient Safety Commissioner, who would be an 'independent public leader with a statutory responsibility'. A commissioner was appointed, but following the Government's 10-year plan for health last week, it has been confirmed that this role will be transferred into the MHRA. Ms Sansom said: 'Moving the Patient Safety Commissioner role to the MHRA silences the patient voice instead of strengthening it. 'It strips away independence, undermines trust, and betrays the very women this role was created to protect.' Earlier this month, Health Secretary Wes Streeting said that patients do not need 'ventriloquists' from arm's length bodies to speak for them, and more weight should be given to the likes of MPs and councillors. Mr Streeting suggested the patient safety landscape is 'cluttered', with NHS leaders receiving 'competing and contradictory instructions' from different organisations. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'The harm caused by pelvic mesh continues to be felt today. Our sympathies are with those affected and we are fully focused on how best to support patients and prevent future harm. 'This is a complex area of work and the Government is carefully considering the Patient Safety Commissioner's recommendations in full. 'Health Minister Baroness Gillian Merron met patients affected and has committed to providing a further update.'
