Anna Sabine MP demands Government action on valproate, pelvic mesh and Primodos scandals

Anna Sabine MP demands Government action on valproate, pelvic mesh and Primodos scandals

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Anna Sabine MP for Frome and East Somerset called on the Government to urgently respond to the recommendations of the Hughes Report and deliver justice for patients and families affected by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh.

More than two years after the Hughes Report set out clear findings and called for financial redress, Anna warned that victims continue to face unacceptable delays and silence from Government.

During the debate, Anna highlighted the case of her constituent Nick, whose son Oliver was born with foetal valproate syndrome after Nick’s wife was prescribed valproate during pregnancy to manage epilepsy. Tragically, Nick’s wife has since passed away, leaving him to raise Oliver alone.

Anna told the House:

“Valproate has changed Oliver’s life forever, and all Nick wants is answers and meaningful action from the Government. Quite rightly, Nick continually chases me for answers on when the Government will make a decision on the Hughes report.”

She pressed the Minister directly:

“On behalf of Nick and Oliver, I ask very directly: can the Minister say when we will finally get a response to the Hughes report? How much longer do the Government need to ‘carefully consider’ recommendations that have already been scrutinised, evidenced and endorsed? Families such as Nick’s cannot wait indefinitely while the Government deliberate.”

Anna also raised the continuing injustice faced by those affected by Primodos, a hormonal pregnancy test used until the 1980s, which was not included in the Hughes Report but was part of the wider Cumberlege Review.

She described the valproate, pelvic mesh and Primodos scandals as among the most significant health scandals of modern times, disproportionately affecting women and following a repeated pattern of warnings being ignored and victims left fighting alone.

Anna said:

“Those affected by valproate and Primodos are not asking for the impossible; they simply want those responsible to acknowledge the mistakes made and to take responsibility for the harms caused.”

Closing her speech, Anna urged the Government to act decisively:

“If we are serious about restoring trust in our healthcare system and serious about supporting women, we must start by delivering justice to those who have been failed so profoundly.”

Full Text Below:

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Allin-Khan. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Sarah Green) for securing this important debate.

We have had the findings of the Hughes report for over two years now. It called on the Government to provide financial redress to patients and families affected by the use of sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. The previous Government refused to act and increasingly it feels as though the current Government are also burying their head in the sand rather than confronting the scale of this injustice.

My constituent Nick is one of those living with the consequences of that inaction. His son Oliver was born with foetal valproate syndrome after Nick’s wife took valproate during pregnancy to control her epilepsy. Tragically, Nick’s wife has since died, leaving Nick to raise Oliver alone. Nick told me that it is hard for him to adequately explain how difficult Oliver’s life has been and how much he worries about his son’s future.

Valproate has changed Oliver’s life forever, and all Nick wants is answers and meaningful action from the Government. Quite rightly, Nick continually chases me for answers on when the Government will make a decision on the Hughes report. On behalf of Nick and Oliver, I ask very directly: can the Minister say when we will finally get a response to the Hughes report? How much longer do the Government need to “carefully consider” recommendations that have already been scrutinised, evidenced and endorsed? Families such as Nick’s cannot wait indefinitely while the Government deliberate.

I take this opportunity to say that it is also vital that we recognise the devastating impact of Primodos, a hormonal pregnancy test used until the 1980s. Primodos was not considered by the Hughes report, but it was part of the Cumberlege review of hundreds of children born with foetal abnormalities. Many of those affected are now older; tragically, some of them are dying without ever receiving acknowledgment, accountability or compensation.

The pelvic mesh, valproate and Primodos scandals are some of the most significant health scandals of modern times. They have disproportionately affected women, yet time and again we see the same pattern: warnings being ignored; evidence being dismissed; and victims being left to fight for justice on their own. These scandals have gone on for far too long, with little action from successive Governments. Those affected by valproate and Primodos are not asking for the impossible; they simply want those responsible to acknowledge the mistakes made and to take responsibility for the harms caused.

If we are serious about restoring trust in our healthcare system and serious about supporting women, we must start by delivering justice to those who have been failed so profoundly.