A new international documentary channel launches its first film today (1 October), by telling the story of the devastating impact of the pelvic mesh scandal, one of the most significant failures in women’s healthcare of our time.

The film – ‘The Medical Mesh Scandal Ruining Women’s Lives’ – follows Cambridgeshire campaigner Kath Sansom, founder of Sling The Mesh ,and investigates the global scandal through the experiences of affected women and the wider questions it raises about medical evidence, regulation and accountability.

Founded in 2015, Sling The Mesh has grown into one of the world’s largest patient networks, with more than 13,000 members in the support group.

The powerful short film features two women from March in Cambridgeshire – Kath and Gail McCourt – and is made by an all-female team who explore how a device promoted as a breakthrough treatment for bladder leaks after childbirth became one of the biggest patient safety controversies of recent decades.

Featuring harmed women, clinicians, academics and campaigners, it examines the flimsy evidence behind mesh implants, failures in regulation, and why warnings were ignored for so long.

It can be seen on MAZE on You Tube – a documentary channel telling underreported stories, particularly women’s, with the time and care news coverage cannot give them. Investigative and protagonist-led, the films are up to 15 minutes long. New films will drop every three weeks from 1 October 2026.

Kath Sansom, founder of Sling The Mesh, said: “Behind every statistic is a woman whose life has been irreversibly changed by a piece of plastic mesh. Thousands were told this was the ‘gold standard’ treatment, yet many were never fully informed of the risks or the devastating complications that could follow. Women raising concerns were treated as isolated cases rather than evidence of a systemic failure. Many were dismissed, disbelieved or told their symptoms were unrelated to their implants. Much of this was driven by marketing that rested on flimsy scientific evidence. The consequences have been devastating.”

Veronica Blecker, founder of MAZE and director of the documentary, said: “What struck us most was not only the scale of suffering, but how often women said they were not believed. This is a story about what happens when patients raise concerns that institutions are reluctant to confront. We hope the film encourages viewers to ask difficult questions, challenge assumptions and recognise that behind every healthcare statistic is a human life. Countries around the world must confront the legacy of the mesh scandal. Our aim is for the documentary to serve as a powerful reminder that innovation must always be accompanied by transparency, independent scrutiny, informed consent and an unwavering commitment to patient safety.”

Following a campaign by Scottish Mesh Survivors, the Scottish Government asked health boards to suspend the use of mesh implants in 2014. Sling The Mesh then campaigned for a UK-wide suspension, which Baroness Cumberlege recommended at the start of her review in 2018, meaning a mesh pause was then in place across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

A special parliamentary screening of the film will be held on 14 October, bringing together MPs, academics, patient safety experts, clinicians, journalists, campaigners and women affected by mesh complications. The event will examine lessons from the scandal.

About MAZE

Veronica Blecker is a Swedish-Swiss documentary filmmaker whose previous work includes Not Ours to Carry, a film following three Tigrayan women advocating for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. Her work has screened internationally and informed discussions among policymakers, advocates and human rights organisations and her earlier work includes working with ABBA.