Sling The Mesh in the news: 2025
The Sepsis Trust UK cover the mesh scandal on their regular podcast to raise awareness of the risk of infections caused by polypropylene mesh. Also the lack of regulation, lack of data capture and lack of long term follow up. Paula’s story can also be read hear at Sepsis Voices.
Cambs News Kath Sansom wins one of the country’s most prestigious science awards for her work on Sling The Mesh
Fenland Citizen March mum of two wins prestigious science award
Cambs Times Sling The Mesh invited to talk at a national patient safety congress.
Lincs Live Sling The mesh campaigners call for the First Do No Harm recommendations to be implemented.
Cambs Times Campaigners affected by the medical scandals of pelvic mesh implants, Primodos, and sodium valproate protested outside Parliament to mark Patient Safety Month. Joined by cross-party MPs from the First Do No Harm All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG), the demonstrators called on the Government to fully implement all recommendations of the landmark Cumberlege Review.
Cambs Times Disgraced surgeon Tony Dixon’s research work helped promote rectopexy mesh across the UK. One of his research papers has been withdrawn and nine further research papers are now under expressions of concern in medical journals. Now campaigners are calling for this type of mesh to be suspended.
BBC Calls are being made for an immediate suspension of rectopexy bowel mesh surgery after the surgeon who pioneered the procedure was struck off.Bristol surgeon Tony Dixon was removed from the medical register for serious misconduct, including performing unnecessary surgeries and fabricating patient records. Patient safety campaigners and MPs say there is now growing concern over the credibility of his research, which underpins the procedure used to treat bowel conditions.
BBC Rectopexy mesh surgeon Tony Dixon has been struck off after the GMC found he used mesh unnecessarily in bowel operations and also falsified patient records.
ITV Bristol surgeon Tony Dixon is struck off the medical register. Concerns about him were first raised eight years ago.
Daily Mail Thousands were harmed by vaginal mesh. Now could breast cancer patients be at risk too?
Independent Campaigners have accused governments of ‘dragging their feet’ on implementing all the recommendations set out in a report into the mesh, Primodos and Sodium Valproate scandal.
BBC Government is ignoring pelvic mesh reforms say campaigners, said Kath Sansom, Sling The Mesh campaign founder.
Sky News Women harmed from three treatments feel bitterly let down at compensation delays
The Northern Echo MP Sharon Hodgson said: “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 proposed, with one still ongoing – leaving five completely untouched.”
Asian Image magazine Kath Sansom said: “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.”
Irish News Mesh victims ‘still fighting for justice’ five years on from review.
In Your Area online Campaigners criticised the Government’s decision to move the independent Patient Safety Commissioner role – one of the review’s key recommendations – into the MHRA, fearing it will weaken patient advocacy.
Dunbarton Reporter A Patient Safety commissioner was appointed following the First Do No Harm report, 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. Kath Sansom said: “This 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.”
Ludlow Advertiser MP Sharon Hodgson said: “Crucially, thousands of women and families who were irreversibly harmed through no fault of their own are yet to see compensation.”
Femtech World The institutional inertia amplifies the suffering – especially the lack of compensation for the harm caused to thousands of women who innocently trusted their doctor that they were being given a safe treatment.
STV News Sling the Mesh says that the Government has 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)
Eastern Daily Press MP Sharon Hodgson said: “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.”
Patient Experience Library magazine contributor, Kath Sansom, writes about life five years on from the First Do No Harm report which detailed harms to thousands of women from pelvic mesh. For her, knowledge means tracking the continuing activities of mesh manufacturers, keeping an eye on potentially untrustworthy lawyers, and educating politicians about the need for stronger regulatory controls. Her power is the determination to keep going in the struggle for justice.
Sudbury Mercury Women harmed by pelvic 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.
Private Eye covers the mesh scandal in its print edition.
A grassroots campaign against the use of pelvic mesh implants celebrated its 10th anniversary this week. Sling The Mesh began in 2015 when Kath Sansom, a former reporter for The Cambs Times and Wisbech Standard newspapers in Cambridgeshire, began campaigning for patient safety and medical justice. Wisbech Standard
Microscopic particles left behind by vaginal mesh could continue to trigger the immune system to attack healthy tissue even after the material has been removed, according to researchers. Experts suggest allergy testing patients before they are fitted with mesh may help to better understand why complications happen in some cases. Kent Online
Microscopic particles left behind by vaginal mesh could continue to trigger the immune system to attack healthy tissue even after the material has been removed, according to researchers. Glasgow Times
Campaign group Sling the Mesh said the majority of its members have developed a reaction they believe is down to the material, including autoimmune diseases, unexplained rashes and chronic fatigue The National Scot
Patients need to be heard, and we need robust, long-term research and regulation to prevent others from suffering needlessly Brent and Kilburn Times
New study suggests plastic particles can trigger autoimmune diseases even after removal – it is essential that we engage with patients who have lived experience of mesh complications, as their insights are vital to improving future care and guiding the responsible development of safer medical devices. The Independent
Microscopic particles left behind by vaginal mesh could continue to trigger the immune system to attack healthy tissue even after the material has been removed, according to researchers. Eastern Daily Press
Experts suggest allergy testing patients before they are fitted with surgical mesh may help to better understand why complications happen in some cases. Campaign group Sling the Mesh said the majority of its members have developed a reaction they believe is down to the material, including autoimmune diseases, unexplained rashes and chronic fatigue. The Herald
A new article led by Dr Nicholas Farr suggests polypropylene mesh is a material which causes autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (Asia). Asia arises following exposure to substances that enhance the immune response in the likes of vaccines, silicone implants, or other foreign materials. Symptoms can vary widely, but include chronic fatigue and chronic painMesh Northern Echo
We are now over 365 days post publication of the Hughes report, which poses the question: what has happened as a result? It is disappointing to know that the answer is — not much! Politics UK
Delaying compensation for mesh injured women will cost government and tax payers more in the long run The Independent
Nurse Dawn Martin is one of thousands of women who had vaginal mesh for “embarrassing” incontinence issues but now faces a “lifetime of torture”. The Sun
Thousands of women are time-barred from taking out product liability claims against manufacturers. Gail was one of the original women implanted with mesh in 2003 but is banned from making a claim as it is over the 10 year time limit. Read Gail’s story in the Daily Mail
February marks 12 months since a report by the Patient Safety Commissioner called for redress for people affected by the mesh scandal. But a year on, patients are still waiting for compensation…
Women harmed by pelvic mesh implants are still waiting for government compensation a year after a major report called for urgent action. Patient safety commissioner Dr Henrietta Hughes, who made that recommendation, called it “an injustice” for the thousands of lives destroyed. Some women were left in permanent pain, unable to walk, work or have sex, after the surgery to treat incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. BBC
A year on from a report by the Patient Safety Commissioner that called for redress, victims of the mesh scandal say they have faced “silence” from the government. Patient Safety Commissioner Dr Henrietta Hughes said: “It is very disappointing that women who have suffered so much harm are still waiting for redress,” she said. “This is an injustice as it augments the original harm they suffered. They need redress now and the government must act immediately.” Sky News
Dr Henrietta Hughes has highlighted that thousands of women’s lives were “destroyed” because of pelvic mesh and said that there was a “clear case for redress” for thousands of women and children affected by both pelvic mesh implants and sodium valproate. She said the government should create a two-stage financial redress scheme – an interim scheme and a main scheme. The Independent
It has been a year since England’s Patient Safety Commissioner set out plans for a compensation scheme for people affected by two of the biggest medical scandals in recent history. So far, no payments have been made. “My message to the Government a year ago was ‘Get on with it’, and although the Government has changed, my message remains the same”, Dr Henrietta Hughes told ITV News. “Waiting for redress doesn’t put the suffering of those who have been harmed on pause, they need help right now.” ITV News national and ITV Granada
Scroll to 24:47 for an interview on Channel 5 with Sling The Mesh founder Kath Sansom on financial redress.
Kath Sansom, flounder of Sling The Mesh, said: “For a year, we have waited for action, but all we’ve received is silence. The Hughes Report made it clear that financial redress is essential. It is unacceptable that the Government continues to turn a blind eye to women who have lost their health, their jobs, and their quality of life through no fault of their own. The time for excuses is over – we need action now.” Irish News
In 2024 Dr Henrietta Hughes highlighted that thousands of women’s lives were “destroyed” because of pelvic mesh and said that there was a “clear case for redress” for thousands of women and children affected by vaginal mesh implants and sodium valproate. But campaigners said they have “faced silence” in the year since the report was published. London Evening Standard
MP Sharon Hodgson raised the matter of financial redress in Parliament and said: “… I will not rest until these thousands of women and families get the justice they deserve. They have been let down by a system supposed to protect them and as a result will suffer lifelong physical and mental barriers. They will never be the same again.” Cambs Times
The UK Government is facing calls to properly redress women impacted by the mesh scandal, a year after a report made recommendations to meet the needs of women affected. A report written in February 2024 by patient safety commissioner Dr Henrietta Hughes recommended what the government should do to support patients who have suffered “avoidable harm” due to safety failures. Medical Device Network
The financial redress story ran across bulletins on most UK independent radio stations. Rathern than lsit them all here is Banbury FM
MP Sharon Hodgson, chairwoman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for First Do Harm, said: “Women have been let down by a system supposed to protect them and as a result will suffer lifelong physical and mental barriers – they will never be the same again. While financial compensation cannot reverse this damage, it would at least provide confirmation to them that – contrary to the gaslighting and dismissal they have received – they were right to raise concerns, that they were wronged, that it wasn’t their fault, and that they deserve better.” Northern Echo
Kath Sansom, founder of Sling The Mesh, said: “The Hughes Report made it clear that financial redress is essential. It is unacceptable that the Government continues to turn a blind eye to women who have lost their health, their jobs, and their quality of life through no fault of their own. The time for excuses is over – we need action now.” CambsNews
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “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 Health Minister Baroness Gillian Merron met with some of those affected before Christmas, and has committed to providing an update to the Patient Safety Commissioner at the earliest opportunity.” Epping Forest Guardian
Ministers have been urged to give financial compensation to women affected by the mesh scandal as the Patient Safety Commissioner expressing her disappointment over a lack of action to date. North West Mail
MP Sharon Hodgson, chairwoman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for First Do Harm, said: “A year on from the publication of the Hughes Report which calls for a redress scheme for women impacted by the mesh and valproate scandals – the Government are yet to issue a response. I will not rest until these thousands of women and families get the justice they deserve.” Gazette and Herald
Kath Sansom, founder of the Sling the Mesh campaign group, called on the Government to urgently act to give women financial redress. “Women’s lives have been irreparably damaged by mesh, with many unable to work or reduce their hours due to chronic pain and disability.” Irvine Times
Transvaginal mesh implants were used to treat pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence after childbirth. However, in some cases they have caused debilitating harm to some women who are calling for urgent financial redress Western Telegraph
The Government has been criticised for its ‘silence’ since a report was published recommending women with pelvic mesh implant complications should receive compensation. The Hughes Report was published a year ago and also highlighted the devastating impact of two medical procedures – pelvic mesh implants and sodium valproate. Cambridgeshire mum Kath Sansom campaigns tirelessly to raise awareness of the complications thousands of women have experienced since undergoing the pelvic mesh procedure. Wisbech Standard
Ministers have been urged to give financial compensation to women affected by the mesh scandal as the Patient Safety Commissioner expressing her disappointment over a lack of action to date. News and Star
Patient Safety Commissioner Dr Henrietta Hughes said: “Dr Hughes said: ‘It is very disappointing that women who have suffered so much harm are still waiting for redress. This is an injustice as it augments the original harm they suffered. They need redress now and the Government must act immediately.” Warrington Guardian.
A year ago today the Patient Safety Commissioner for England published The Hughes Report, which set out options for redress for those who have been harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. In this blog, Patient Safety Learning reflects on the failure to act on its recommendations 12 months on. Patient Safety Learning
In this briefing associate Amy Anderson explores the difference between redress under any future schemes and compensation through litigation. Russell Cooke
Elsewhere in February…
“The campaign has taught me that even if you’re just a ‘little person’ and feel like you’re insignificant, you can make change.” The Breakthrough team sat down with Kath Sansom to discuss taking on institutional denial in the healthcare industry, why the UK needs a Sunshine Act, financial redress, raising awareness of mesh internationally and much more. Blog by Breakthrough Impact
Former Conservative minister Esther McVey says the reporting of all health treatment side effects should be made mandatory as she praised the work of Sling The Mesh in lobbying for better regulation. McVey criticised a culture of secrecy at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The Standard
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