Question reference: S5W-35181
- Asked by: Rona Mackay, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 11 February 2021
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Current status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Jeane Freeman on 12 February 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Transvaginal Mesh Case Record Review, and whether there is a prospect of introducing credentials for the surgeons undertaking mesh removal surgery.
Answer
As I set out on 23 February 2020 ( Support for mesh victims - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) , we have continued work to establish a Case Record Review for women who have raised concerns about whether their case records accurately reflect the treatment that they have received, specifically in relation to full and partial removal of mesh. This Review will give women an opportunity to set out their concerns and have their records reviewed by clinicians to allow for discussion, explanation and mutual understanding.
I am pleased to be able to announce that the Review Panel has now finalised and I have commissioned Professor Alison Britton to lead the Review as the Moderator. Alison Britton is a Professor of Healthcare and Medical Law at Glasgow Caledonian University and previously conducted the “Investigative Review into the process of establishing, managing and supporting Independent Reviews in Scotland”, published in 2018. I am pleased that Professor Britton has agreed to take on this role.
Professor Britton will be joined by three experienced clinicians and an administrator. The clinicians joining Professor Britton on the Review Panel are:
Professor Anthony Smith,
Professor of Urogynaecology, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre,
Consultant Gynaecologist (retired)
Mr Ian Currie,
Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust,
Vice President, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists 2011-2016
Dr Carey Lunan MBE,
GP, NHS Lothian,
Chair of Royal College of GPs, Scotland, 2017-2020
Finally, Mrs Irene Brown, who worked with Professor Britton on the 2018 Review will join the Panel as the administrator.
The Panel members have been chosen based on their individual qualities, expertise, knowledge, authority and standing.
Professor Britton will shortly be inviting women who are eligible for the Review to take part. In the first instance, the Review will be offered to those who attended the meetings in November 2019 with the First Minister and myself. This is to ensure that the Review achieves its purpose. However we will consider whether we can offer more women a review using a similar model in the future.
The Review is entirely voluntary and does not, in any way, replace the processes that are already in place for an individual to raise a complaint or pursue legal action.
The First Minister and I take the commitment we made to women at our meetings very seriously and regret that the COVID-19 pandemic unavoidably delayed this work. I hope that this important work helps those who have concerns about their mesh removal.
Credentialing
In light of concerns that have been raised with me, in person by patients, in the media and also in the Scottish Parliament, I have written to the General Medical Council (GMC) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) to express my support for the introduction of a GMC approved credential in mesh removal surgery.
As Specialist Centres are established across the UK, credentialing will define the skills required to perform mesh removal surgery, and set out how these skills can be acquired and assessed. By formally recognising the skills of our surgeons, credentialing will provide assurance for patients and the service, will reduce the risk of harm and will help improve public confidence.