Mesh Complications Specialist Service

The Manchester Mesh Complications Specialist Service, at Manchester University NHS Trust, is one of nine specialist Mesh Complication Centres in England   

We have over 10 years’ experience supporting patients with mesh complications following surgery for urinary incontinence and vaginal prolapse. We provide a comprehensive service including assessment and surgical and non-surgical treatments.  

We have a multidisciplinary team (MDT) made up of a range of clinical specialists including surgeons, specialist nurses, imaging specialists, pain management, physiotherapists, psychologists and a coordinator. The MDT is led by Dr Karen Ward Consultant Gynaecologist. Find out more about our team here and how they can support you.

The Manchester Mesh Complications Specialist Service receives referrals from the North West region and also takes referrals from Wales and other regions of the UK. Your GP or Consultant can refer you to the service.  

Referral information for healthcare professionals

We are able to accept GP referrals to the Manchester Mesh Complications Service using the e-Referral system.  

If you are another healthcare specialist and would like to refer to the Manchester Mesh Complications Service, please complete our referral form and send to mft.mesh@nhs.net  

Contact us:

For patient or referrer queries, please contact our admin team at mesh@mft.nhs.uk 

Please include the patients NHS number, name and date of birth.  

Meet the team

Our service includes a range of specialists including surgeons, psychologists, pain specialists, physiotherapists, clinical nurse specialists, radiologists and MDT coordinators, each providing specific services. 

 You will usually be seen by one of the Urogynaecology Consultants and a specialist nurse at your first visit. Depending on the nature of your problem, you may have some tests during this appointment. We will tell you in advance if you are likely to have tests at your first visit.  

We will send out some questionnaires for you to complete before you attend your appointment. These are to find out the nature of your problem and how it is affecting you. It is very important that you fill these in as it will help us to assess your problem thoroughly. We will also explore your views about possible treatment options. We will write to you after your appointment to summarise our assessment and what was discussed at the appointment.   

Once any tests are completed, we will discuss your problem at our multidisciplinary team meeting. Your consultant will contact you after this meeting to arrange an appointment to discuss and agree the management plan with you. This may include surgical and/or non-surgical treatment. We can also discuss whether you may find it helpful to get additional support or treatment from other members of our team.  

We are actively involved in research into mesh complications and you may be seen by a member of our research team at your visit and invited to take part. Your participation is entirely voluntary and whether you choose to participate or not will not affect the care you receive. 

Research

Abbas N and Reid F. The management of mesh complications. Obstetrics Gynaecology & Reproductive Medicine. 2022; 32(11):247-52. DOI: 10.1016/j.ogrm.2022.08.006  

Abbas N, Virdee T, Basu M, Iles D, Kanitkar S, Kearney R, Ward K et al. Clinical outcomes after total excision of transobturator tape inserted for treatment of stress urinary incontinence. Neurourol Urodyn. 2023;42(4):785-93. https://doi.org/10.1002/nau.25155  

Carter P, Fou L, Whiter F, Delgado Nunes V, Hasler E, Austin C, Macbeth F, Ward K, Kearney R. Management of mesh complications following surgery for stress urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse: a systematic review. BJOG. 2020;127(1):28-35.  https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-0528.15958  

Mahoney, Charlotte ; Hindle, Adam ; Rajashanker, Balashanmugam et al. / MR scan evaluation of pelvic organ prolapse mesh complications and agreement with intra-operative findings. In: International Urogynecology Journal. 2019 ; Vol. 31, No. 8. pp. 1559-1566. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00192-019-04182-7