Mesh in Operations

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:20 pm on 14 March 2023.

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Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 2:20, 14 March 2023

I thank Jack Sargeant for his continuing interest in this topic. I know that he has previously referred to the work of his constituent and the campaigning work that she has undertaken, and that he received assurances from the then health Minister that we expect, and indeed have seen, a significant reduction in the number of vaginal mesh procedures being carried out in Wales. While there is not a total ban on it, those procedures only proceed when there is a clear and properly informed choice being made by the patient. That's where the points that Jack Sargeant has made this afternoon are so important, Llywydd—that we have to be as clear as we can be with our clinicians that these decisions have to be joint decisions driven by the informed choices that women themselves make.

In order to bring that about, we've been doing two things since Jack asked his previous questions on these matters. First is to make sure that there are new training opportunities for those with the necessary clinical expertise, and to make sure as well that there is a properly multidisciplinary team approach to implementing those NICE guidelines. So, we're making sure that the clinical community is better informed, and we have been working closely with service users and patient representatives, which includes the Welsh Mesh Survivors group and Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales. The Minister plans to publish a women's health strategy for Wales, and that strategy will capture, on a broader basis, those very important principles of making sure that the voice of the patient, informed and authoritative, drives the decisions that are being made alongside them.