Review blasts NHS lagging in scandals

LONDON— Hundreds of women and their babies suffered “avoidable harm” because Britain’s health care system ignored concerns raised about some medical treatments, a review into three National Health Service scandals found Wednesday.

Patients were dismissed and overlooked when they complained about three medical interventions: pelvic mesh, which has been linked to crippling, life-changing complications including chronic pain; the anti-epilepsy drug sodium valproate, which has been linked to physical malformations in many children when taken by their mothers during pregnancy; and hormone pregnancy tests such as Primodos, thought to be associated with birth defects and miscarriages.

The review led by Julia Cumberlege, a former health minister, said the system had a “glacial” and “defensive” response to concerns over the treatments.

The report outlined “heart-wrenching” stories of how the treatments led to “acute suffering, families fractured, children harmed and much else” in hundreds of families. Patients fought for decades to be heard.

Cumberlege stressed that it was “truly shocking” that no one knows the true number of people affected.

The report said that hormonal pregnancy tests, which were provided in Britain from the 1950s, should have been banned from 1967, but they were not fully withdrawn in Britain until 1978.

“The issue here is not one of a single or a few rogue medical practitioners, or differences in regional practice,” the report said. “It is system-wide.”

Cumberlege acknowledged that at a time when the NHS’ response to the COVID-19 outbreak had led to praise, her report would offer uncomfortable reading. But she said the system just wasn’t good enough at spotting trends that gave rise to safety concerns.