Oxford surgeon Simon Jackson has been criticised by a High Court judge for giving evidence that was “wholly unsatisfactory” “cherry-picking” and “lacked balance” when he acted as medical expert for an NHS Health board defending a high value mesh case. See p44-45 of Court Documents below The remarkable judgment in Preater v Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board contains a powerful […]
The Cumberlege Review called for a mandatory, enforceable transparency system which would force industry to log the millions it gives to the UK health sector every year – this money has been proven to bias research and prescribing. However, current proposals by government risk creating a fragmented voluntary scheme, prompting the Cumberlege Review’s lead researcher, Professor Sonia Macleod, to describe […]
Did you know that hundreds of millions are paid by industry to the UK healthcare sector every year? In 2025 it was £929 million. In 2024 it was £813 million. Around 70% of the total is research payments. This money is lumped together in totals from each company and is not broken down into how much is given to which […]
Thanks to the BMJ for covering the story of how six years on from the Cumberlege Review, and over a decade of advocacy from #slingthemesh and we’re still waiting for meaningful action on transparency around pharma and device payments to the health sector. Industry payments reached £540 million in the UK in 2025 from the pharmaceutical industry alone – declared […]
We were encouraged to hear incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham recognise the tireless work of campaigners in his first speech to Parliament, including the years of advocacy by women affected by Mesh, Primodos, Sodium Valproate and PIP implant scandals. Speaking during the debate on the proposed Hillsborough Law, Burnham highlighted the need for a fundamental shift in how the state […]
Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of former Senator Derryn Hinch – the first Australian politician to take mesh injured women seriously and a huge support to the global mesh injured community. Derryn described transvaginal mesh as “one of Australia’s greatest medical scandals” and, using his platform and the courage of his convictions, exposed a scandal […]
From thousands of women to a handful In July 2018, we achieved what many thought was impossible – the suspension of vaginal mesh sling surgery for stress urinary incontinence. The impact of that decision by Baroness Julia Cumberlege, at the start of her independent review into the avoidable harm of three women’s health treatments, is impossible to ignore. Before the […]
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 […]
Today’s media coverage marks another significant moment in the fight for justice for women harmed by pelvic mesh. This morning, BBC Breakfast featured a powerful interview with mesh-injured patient Mandy Bridge alongside Patient Safety Commissioner Professor Henrietta Hughes. Together, they highlighted the urgent need for the government to finally act on compensation for victims – something that was first recommended […]
I asked what I thought was an easy mesh data question. Except nobody at NHS England can answer. Which tells us everything about gaps in accountability. The question? How many women have had to have part of their bladder or bowel removed because pelvic mesh eroded into their organs? How many are now living with a stoma bag because of […]
