Vaughan Gething, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued its draft guideline for the Management of Urinary Incontinence and Pelvic Organ Prolapse for consultation on 9 October which updates NICE guideline CG171 issued in 2013.
I welcome the draft guideline and NICE’s intention to consult on it, which is now significantly wider in scope covering the management of urinary incontinence in women and the management of pelvic organ prolapse and importantly, the management of women with complications suspected to be associated with mesh surgery. The guideline also further identifies a number of recommended areas for research.
The guideline is consistent with the recommendations made in July by the Welsh Mesh and Tape Task and Finish Group particularly in relation to the use of non-surgical options as a first resort, the requirement for fully informed consent, with women being fully advised of the risks of the procedure and provided with written information in relation to the implant; the recording of information on procedures and outcomes on a national registry and the importance of local, regional and specialist multi-disciplinary teams.
This guideline also mirrors the initial recommendations made by Baroness Cumberlege’s review and the subsequent ‘high vigilance’ arrangements communicated to clinicians by the Chief Medical Officer in Wales.
The draft guideline has been referred to the Women’s Health Implementation Group which I established to take forward the recommendations of the Welsh Mesh and Tape Task and Finish Group, for full consideration and to be taken into account in the wider implementation that is supported annually by £1m.
The consultation on the draft guidelines ends on 19 November and can be accessed at:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10035/consultation/html-content-2