Personal injury advice from
Thompsons Solicitors
Latest Information on PIP Breast Implants
The Department of Health have issued a statement following a review of the safety of Poly Implant Prosthese (PIP) implants, with advice for women who have them.
This statement supports initial advice of the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) that there is no evidence of a link with cancer and not enough evidence to recommend the implants be routinely removed. It does however state that the implants should never have been used and that anyone concerned about their implants should consult their GP or surgeon for advice.
Defective Breast Implants
It was found that breast implants manufactured by the French company PIP who are no longer operating, were made from unapproved, non-medical grade silicone. There were also reports that their protective coating was faulty. They were subject to high rupture and leakage rates and the sale and marketing of these implants was banned in 2010. Unfortunately, by then, around 40,000 women in the UK already had PIP implants.
The European Commission is expected to propose that tougher regulations be introduced and cosmetic surgeons are calling for more spot checking of implants and a register of all surgically implanted devices.
NHS Will Support Removal of PIP Implants
Authorities in France, Holland and Germany have all issued recommendations that anyone with PIP implants should have them removed as a precautionary measure, however this is not the current recommendation from the UK Government.
In the Department of Health’s statement, it is confirmed that the NHS will contact anyone who received a PIP implant from the NHS and provide appropriate advice. They will be entitled to a consultation with their GP or surgical team and may undergo imaging to check for any evidence of a rupture, if this is appropriate and what the patient wants. If it is clinically necessary, or a woman and her doctor have come to the decision that it is right to do so, the NHS will remove the implants. If the original implantation was carried out under the NHS, they will also be replaced.
The Department of Health are working with private clinics to try to ensure that women who received implants privately are provided with similar care to the NHS.
If a private clinic is no longer operating, or is refusing to help, the NHS will offer advice and support the removal of implants in line with the arrangements for NHS patients, but will not offer replacement.
The NHS Medical Director, Sir Bruce Keogh, said “On the basis of the information we have, we do not think it is necessary to recommend the routine removal of these implants. But we understand that some women will be very concerned so we support the Government’s position that the NHS will support removal of PIP implants if the patient has concerns and with her doctor she decides that it is right to do so.”
Expert Legal Advice
If you have suffered problems following cosmetic surgery, caused by a defective medical implant or by clinical negligence, we may be able to assist you with a compensation claim.
At The Legal Line our lawyers are experts in all areas of personal injury and we can provide you with the best possible legal advice on a confidential basis. Contact us on 0800 0328511, or by completing a claim enquiry form online.
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