Category: NHS Mesh Operations

Compensation for pain and suffering caused by vaginal mesh

Vaginal mesh was introduced a number of years ago in the UK as a device to treat problems like pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence. Over the years, it became an established treatment, but has more recently been met with backlash by women who have faced serious complications provoked by the mesh implants. Those who have been adversely affected by vaginal mesh may be able to claim compensation for pain and suffering in cases where there has been medical negligence.

Despite being approved by medical product regulators and accepted by doctors, vaginal mesh has been found to cause harm to a large number of patients worldwide. It has since become more tightly regulated, and can now only be used by the NHS in exceptional circumstances, but the damage has already been done for many. Questions have been raised about how those responsible for patient welfare have failed to protect patients from harm.

As specialists in medical negligence, we want to support as many victims of vaginal mesh complications as possible. It may be that the negligence of healthcare professionals has played in their pain and suffering, in which case victims could be eligible for compensation pay-outs.

The importance of greater awareness of vaginal mesh complications

News coverage of women’s stories and treatment reviews has led to a greater awareness of mesh complications in recent years, but there is still work to be done to ensure that the issue receives the attention it merits.

The criticism of vaginal mesh and its potentially harmful side-effects has led to an adjustment in NHS policy, recommending that the devices should only be used in certain circumstances. However, vaginal mesh is still approved by some medical product regulators, and little has been done to address the past mistreatment that patients have faced in some cases.

We cannot right the wrongs that have been done, but we can use our medical negligence expertise to support those affected by mesh complications to claim compensation. When medical professionals breach the duty they owe to their patients, it is important to ensure that they are held accountable for any harm caused.

Vaginal mesh claim for reduced mobility

Associated with incredibly painful and harmful complications, vaginal mesh can have a life-altering impact on patients’ lives. The treatment has been used for many years to treat stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse, but for some patients it has worsened their quality of life rather than improving it. In fact, some have found themselves unable to get around and perform daily tasks. Anyone who has been affected in this way may be able to make a claim for reduced mobility.

Before having vaginal mesh implanted, few women would have thought it had the potential to leave them unable to walk. Many of the risks appear to have been hidden or underplayed, but as patients began to come forward, the full scale of the scandal started to reveal itself. It has since been alleged that vaginal mesh implants have not been subjected to sufficiently rigorous testing, yet the MHRA (Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) continues to approve the use of the devices in some cases.

If we believe that your mesh complications arose as a result of medical negligence, you may be able to claim compensation. It is unacceptable that such a dangerous device has been allowed to cause irrevocable harm in the cases that it has, and we want to support victims to achieve the justice they deserve.

Can I claim vaginal mesh compensation?

In the past few years, many victims of the complications of vaginal mesh have come forward to report the pain and injury they have been caused. As medical negligence specialists, victims of poor healthcare treatment have often asked us: “can I claim compensation?”. We can confirm that, if there is evidence of medical negligence or general liability, those affected by mesh implant complications may be able to claim compensation for the harm caused.

Vaginal mesh has been approved by the MHRA, the Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and has been used in the NHS for many years. Their use has recently been subjected to severe criticism but has still not been permanently banned.

We believe that the mesh implant scandal could constitute one of the most wide-reaching negligence cases ever seen in the UK. It is horrifying that so many patients have had their health and well-being compromised drastically by a device that was supposed to help them, which is why we want to help as many victims as we can to claim the compensation they deserve.

Victims subject to poor advice about risks of vaginal mesh

With safety concerns dating back to over a decade, there are ongoing controversies surrounding vaginal mesh implants. They are still in use, despite known complications and calls to ban the treatment. Countless patient testimonies have condemned the implants for being unfit for purpose and causing debilitating pain, and much of the outrage can stem from poor advice about risks that some women received prior to treatment.

Trusting in the openness of their doctors, it appears that many women were not properly informed about the potential consequences of undergoing this controversial procedure. If you consider yourself a victim of inadequate advice about mesh treatments, you may be eligible to claim compensation with us, and you may be eligible for No Win, No Fee legal representation.

Should there be a vaginal mesh ban?

In November 2017, the health watchdog NICE issued a recommendation for a vaginal mesh ban. The month before, the government opposed calls to ban the treatment.

These two opposing viewpoints provide just one example of the controversy that still surrounds vaginal mesh implants, which have faced criticism both in the UK and across the world.

The mesh implants, which are used to treat issues such as pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI), have widely been condemned by women who have undergone the treatment, many of whom now have irreversible complications and constant pain.

TVT mesh complications

The use of transvaginal tape (TVT) and mesh has caused some patients to suffer from serious pain and irreversible damage arising from TVT mesh complications.

TVT and TVM have been used to treat pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI) for years. This is despite the record number of women who have been reporting complications and catastrophic damage from these devices since 2008.

The use of mesh implant devices has been dramatically reduced in recent years, but only in July 2018 did the NHS put a pause on their use in most cases. Despite this, transvaginal mesh and tape is still used in certain ‘unavoidable’ cases and still can still cause TVT mesh complications to this day.

Private treatment costs in pelvic mesh compensation claims

In some pelvic mesh compensation cases, you could be eligible to claim for private treatment costs as part of a No Win, No Fee legal case.

There are a few ways that you could claim for such costs. If certain conditions are met as part of a claim for compensation, these costs can be factored into a claim, and we have outlined this below for you.

Treatment can be an incredibly important part of a legal case given how severe problems and complications of vaginal mesh can be.

Multiple revision surgeries for pelvic mesh: compensation advice

If you have undergone multiple revision surgeries following a vaginal mesh procedure, this can be included in a claim for pelvic mesh compensation with us.

We can give you some brief guidance about how we can account for any additional suffering associated with having to undergo multiple procedures. We can also give you some guidance about how we approach valuing pelvic mesh cases as well, and what you could be entitled to claim for.

Our team is always happy to speak to you and offer you free, no-obligation advice about your options as well.

Sandwell and West Birmingham Pelvic Mesh Claims

You may recall the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust pelvic mesh issues involving former patients of Dr Angamuthu Arunkalaivanan that triggered a significant recall.

It’s an issue that dates back from a few years, so most patients will have received their recall letters and any additional steps that needed to be undertaken should have been done so. However, if some patients experience problems a long time after the recall notification, there may still be time left to claim.

We must stress that you must contact our team ASAP to determine if you are still in time, though. But, since we have resolved legal action that we have taken for this issue, we wanted to remind those who were affected about their rights to pursue compensation.