We are backing calls for the Government to compensate women harmed by pelvic mesh and the epilepsy drug sodium valproate, as a key deadline approaches next month.

Patient Safety Commissioner Dr Henrietta Hughes has urged ministers to confirm by 16 July whether a compensation scheme will be introduced.

In 2024, her Hughes Report called for a two-stage redress scheme for patients affected by pelvic mesh and sodium valproate. It was hoped these would come into effect late last year, but no compensation has been paid.

In response, Kath Sansom has mobilised members of Sling The Mesh to take action by leading an email rally across our online platforms, with more than 100 MPs already contacted who are being urged to back Dr Hughes’ call to press the Government for a decision.

Kath said: “Too many women have been left suffering for years without recognition or proper support. This deadline is an important moment, and we want to make sure the Government understands just how many people are affected and how urgent this is.”

The call for compensation highlights the experiences of women irreversibly harmed by pelvic mesh implants and children harmed by sodium valproate – an effective epilepsy treatment that can cause serious harm if taken during pregnancy – both of which have been the subject of national reviews and ongoing calls for redress.

With just weeks to go until the 16 July deadline, campaigners are continuing to contact MPs across the country, building support and urging ministers to act.

Kath said: “This is about justice and accountability. It is cruel to keep families waiting. We’re hopeful that pressure like this will help bring about the outcome women deserve. The evidence has been undeniable about the thousands of women living with devastating, irreversible injuries. These women did everything right. They trusted their doctors. And for that trust, they’ve paid with their health, their jobs, their hobbies, their savings, and for some their marriages, but moreover their sense of self. This is not good enough. They should not be forced to fight through the courts for justice over a piece of plastic mesh that has shattered their lives. The Government must act now. Full, fair and urgent financial compensation is not optional, it is long overdue.”

Dr Henrietta Hughes said: “The continued absence of visible and timely progress against these recommendations risks perpetuating the very harms and inequities the Hughes Report identifies. Given the seriousness of these findings, and the continued impact on patients and their families, it is disappointing that the Government still hasn’t provided a substantive response.” Government must hand over information on redress for valproate and pelvic mesh victims by mid-July – Patient Safety Commissioner

Campaigners have also raised concerns that families affected by the pregnancy testing drug Primodos – withdrawn from the UK market in 1978 and investigated alongside pelvic mesh and sodium valproate as part of the First Do No Harm report – have been left out, warning that it is unfair to exclude them.

• Pelvic mesh – a surgical implant used to treat incontinence and prolapse, which has left thousands of women with life-changing complications and chronic pain.
• Sodium valproate – an epilepsy medication linked to serious birth defects and developmental conditions when taken during pregnancy.
• Primodos – a hormone-based pregnancy test used in the 1960s and 1970s, later withdrawn amid concerns it was linked to birth defects in babies.

Sling The Mesh began in 2015 with just 20 members and has since grown to almost 13,000 people from around the world.