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Henrietta Hughes, England’s patient safety commissioner, is to approach the prime minister directly to ask why the Government has so far failed to agree a financial compensation timeline for individuals harmed by pelvic mesh and sodium valproate. 

In a February 2 statement, professor Hughes said she recently had raised the issue with health minister Zubir Ahmed, who updated her on plans for “non-financial redress” for affected victims but told her “current patients with clinical needs” must take priority in his department’s funding allocation decisions. 

However, Mr Ahmed said the commissioner’s recommendations regarding financial compensation “continue to be considered by the Government more widely” and that he hopes to provide “an update on the Government’s position as soon as possible”. 

After hearing from the minister, professor Hughes said she planned to “approach Number 10 directly” to secure a commitment for financial redress. 

Her 2024 report estimated that a minimum of 10,000 women may have been harmed by pelvic mesh in England and that between 10,000 and 17,000 have been harmed by valproate-containing medicines.

The report called on the Government to offer financial compensation to affected patients, suggesting possible amounts of £100,000 for those harmed by valproate and £20,000 for those harmed by pelvic mesh.

Professor Hughes commented: “I welcome minister Ahmed’s acknowledgement that financial redress is part of the Government’s thinking. However, acknowledgement alone does not provide justice to the thousands of patients and families who have been harmed. 

“What is starkly absent from this update is any commitment to a timetable for action. Nearly two years after publishing my report, patients are still waiting for action and financial redress. Patients’ lives don’t grind to a halt while Government departments debate jurisdiction and timelines. 

“I am grateful for the minister’s personal commitment and the progress on non-financial aspects. But the reality remains that the Department of Health and Social Care does not have the agency to deliver financial compensation. That authority sits with the Treasury and Number 10. 

“I will now be approaching Number 10 directly, using the power to request information under the 2021 Medicines and Medical Devices Act if required. This is very much unfinished business and I will not stop holding Government to account until this is resolved for the patients and families harmed.” 

Related: Use effective contraception, MHRA tells male valproate patients