Kath Sansom with former MP Owen Smith (Image: Supplied)

Kath Sansom, a former reporter at the newspaper, is the founder of Sling The Mesh and has been at the forefront of the fight for justice for women harmed by mesh implants.

Kath Sansom is a former EDP reporter turned campaigner (Image: Supplied)

The mother of two joined campaigners and parliamentarians in Westminster this month as calls intensified for ministers to act on the recommendations of the Hughes Report.

Published in February 2024, it set out the need for redress and accountability for patients harmed by medical treatments.

Nearly two years on, campaigners say no compensation scheme has been introduced, with thousands of women still living with life-changing injuries.

Ms Sansom said women harmed by mesh continue to suffer while waiting for justice.

Kath Samson raising awareness of mesh injured women (Image: Supplied)

She said: “Women harmed by mesh are suffering right now. Whilst the government continues to stall on compensation, it does not put women’s problems on hold.

“Many have lost careers and relationships, and are living with life-changing pain, repeated infections and the daily struggle to walk or sit without pain. Everyone in the support group has had their quality of life impacted.

“The damage to women’s physical and mental health is profound and far-reaching.”

She said women had been reassured the procedures were safe, with devastating consequences.

“We were assured we were receiving a gold-standard fix and were given no warning at all about the complications,” she said.

“The reality of mesh could not have been further from the promise of zero to low risk.”

The issue was raised in parliament alongside calls from MPs for the government to set out a clear timetable for compensation for women harmed by mesh and families affected by other medical procedures.

Campaigners say the continued delay is deepening the injustice already endured and have warned they will continue pressing ministers until a compensation scheme is formally established.

The Hughes Report was commissioned following the 2020 First Do No Harm review, which identified widespread failings in the healthcare system’s response to women harmed by medical interventions.

Former EDP reporter Kath Sansom with MP Sharon Hodgson - chair of the First Do No Harm All Party Parliamentary Group (Image: Supplied)

Ms Sansom said taking the campaign to parliament was about ensuring women’s voices were finally heard.

She added: “Too many lives have been shattered, yet women are still waiting for the justice and support they deserve.”

How Sling The Mesh reached parliament

Sling The Mesh was founded in 2015 by Ms Sansom after she suffered complications following surgery to treat stress incontinence following childbirth and worsened by the onset of menopause.

From it's base in the region it quickly grew as thousands of women came forward to report similar experiences of pain, organ damage, reduced mobility and sexual dysfunction.

Sling The Mesh helped bring the issue to national attention through patient testimonies being shared in newspapers, magazines and online.

In 2018 the use of mesh for stress incontinence was suspended.

At the same time pelvic organ prolapse mesh inserted vaginally was banned - but remained available on the NHS when inserted abdominally.

In 2020 pelvic mesh was one of three major healthcare scandals highlighted in a government review led by Baroness Cumberlege.

The recommendations made included specialist centres for mesh removal and redress for injured patients.

In February 2024 patient safety commissioner Henrietta Hughes published a report reinforcing the need for compensation and faster access to specialist care.

But the report did not include a clear timetable for compensation which campaigners gathered in Westminster to push for this month.

© Eastern Daily Press