Written question WQ82873

Since the establishment of the Women’s Health Implementation Group (WHIG) in 2018, a significant proportion of its budget has been spent on resourcing the pelvic floor services in each of the health boards in Wales. These services range from continence support, physiotherapists, nurses and psychological support for pelvic floor dysfunction patients, which include mesh patients, stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse patients.

Part of this funding has provided for a network of Pelvic Health and Well-being Coordinators in each health board, to help signpost women to appropriate services and ensure they are supported through appropriate community-based pathways.

Besides its existing work, the WHIG has also been asked to consider the recommendations from the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Review Chaired by Baroness Cumberlege as they pertain to vaginal mesh.

Historically, the WHIG has established good links with women’s groups, in particular mesh survivors. Indeed, one particular group, Fair Treatment for Women of Wales (FTWW) has sat on the WHIG to offer a perspective from service users. The initial Chair of the WHIG held regular meetings with mesh survivors, allowing their concerns to feed into the work of the group. As the WHIG commences on work in response to Cumberlege Review recommendations in relation to mesh, it will be important that these links continue so as to ensure that the patient voice is heard effectively.

The Pelvic Health and Well-being Coordinators in each health board, which have been funded by the WHIG are in regular contact with mesh survivors in their area. This is particularly true in Swansea Bay University Health Board, as Swansea is the major tertiary centre for mesh removal in Wales.

My officials are engaging with those in UK Government to ensure that mesh removal services in Wales are offered in accordance with the same standards as those in England and that linkages are built across clinical networks to ensure best practice is shared.

I can confirm that clinicians in the tertiary centre in Swansea are working closely with colleagues in England to ensure that the same high standards of care apply to mesh surgery and that officials are working to introduce suitable referral pathways so that women who wish to be treated at mesh centres in other parts of the UK are able to do so.