Belfast Woman Living in Constant Pain Demands Government Action on Vaginal Mesh Compensation

Belfast Woman Joins March on Downing Street Over Pelvic Mesh Suffering

A Belfast woman who says she has lived in relentless pain since receiving a vaginal mesh implant is urging the UK government to commit to a firm deadline for a compensation scheme — one that she and thousands of others have been waiting years to see delivered.

Susan McLarnon is among a group of women who travelled to Downing Street to personally deliver a letter to the Prime Minister demanding urgent and concrete action on redress for those harmed by pelvic mesh implants.

'I Walked In Able-Bodied and Left on Crutches'

McLarnon received her vaginal mesh implant in 2016 to treat a prolapse and urinary incontinence. She says she was reassured beforehand that the procedure was straightforward and low-risk — but claims she was never properly informed of the potential dangers.

The aftermath was devastating.

"I walked into the hospital able-bodied and came out on crutches," she told BBC News NI.

In the years since her surgery, her mobility has deteriorated significantly. Everyday tasks that most people take for granted — getting washed and dressed, driving, moving around the home — have become serious challenges. Although she later underwent a procedure to have the mesh removed, it was not fully extracted, and she says the pain has never left her.

A Widespread Crisis Affecting Hundreds of Women

McLarnon is a member of Sling the Mesh NI, a support group for women affected by mesh-related complications that now has close to 700 members in Northern Ireland alone. Despite considering her own situation serious, she describes herself as "one of the lucky ones" when compared to fellow members who have lost organs, been forced to sell their homes, or experienced the breakdown of personal relationships as a direct result of their complications.

Pelvic mesh — a net-like synthetic implant used to support the vagina and surrounding organs including the bladder, urethra, and rectum — was widely regarded as the gold standard treatment for incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse for many years. However, the implants can harden and erode over time, cutting through soft tissue and causing catastrophic damage to internal organs. Many women have been left in permanent pain, unable to walk, maintain employment, or engage in intimate relationships.

Men Are Also Affected

McLarnon was keen to highlight that the mesh crisis is not exclusive to women. Men who received mesh implants as a treatment for hernias have experienced similarly severe complications.

"They suffer the same but it's hard to get men to speak out as they don't like to speak about personal things — but they are also in excruciating pain," she said.

Two Years On: Recommendations Still Gathering Dust

A landmark independent report published two years ago, authored by Dr Henrietta Hughes, called for immediate action and recommended that initial payments of £20,000 be made to mesh-injured women across the UK. The report also prompted calls for the Northern Ireland Executive to establish a dedicated compensation scheme for those harmed by pelvic mesh implants.

Despite the urgency of those recommendations, campaigners say little tangible progress has been made. The UK Department of Health and Social Care acknowledged the "significant impact" the implants have had on patients and their families, but stated only that it is "carefully considering" the report's recommendations and intends to provide an update "in due course."

For those living with daily pain, that response is far from sufficient.

Redress Is About More Than Compensation

McLarnon stressed that the campaign for a redress scheme goes beyond simply seeking financial restitution.

"It will help those who are on waiting lists to see surgeons for removal or to go privately," she explained, pointing out that many affected women are stuck in lengthy NHS queues while their conditions worsen.

Kath Sansom, founder of Sling The Mesh, who joined the Downing Street delegation alongside MP Sharon Hodgson, stated that pelvic mesh had "stolen women's health, irreversibly ruined their quality of life, their independence, and their future." She and fellow campaigners are calling for a clear, funded, government-backed timeline for a compensation scheme that covers all women harmed by pelvic mesh — including those who received rectopexy mesh.

The Scale of the Problem in Northern Ireland

The true number of women adversely affected by mesh implants in Northern Ireland remains difficult to pin down, partly because of poor data management within local health trusts — a failing highlighted in an NI Audit report.

According to that audit, approximately 11,000 vaginal mesh procedures were carried out in Northern Ireland between 1998 and 2018. Conservative estimates suggest that between 5% and 10% of those patients experienced complications, meaning potentially hundreds of women may require mesh removal surgery.

For Susan McLarnon and the growing community of women standing behind her, the time for government consideration has long passed. What they need now is action — and a deadline to hold decision-makers accountable.