NHS Will Remove Private PIP Breast Implants

Women will be allowed to have their PIP breast implants removed on the NHS - even if the original procedure was done privately.

The Government says the surgery will be offered free of charge to NHS patients, and expects private firms to offer the same deal to their clients.

Any woman denied help by a private clinic would be able to have her implants removed on the health service, the Department of Health said.

The move comes after a Government review amid fears the implants could rupture.

The investigation, conducted by experts, said it was "undeniably the case" they were made of non-medical grade silicone, but was unable to establish if the rupture rate with PIP implants was higher than others.

The experts said they could not entirely rule out that some were toxic - but they concluded there was no evidence to suggest routine removal was necessary.

The group said there was no link between the implants and cancer, as reported in one French case.

In France, the government has told 30,000 women they should have the implants removed while the Czech and German authorities have recommended that women should also have them taken out.

A 2005 report by a consultant plastic surgeon in Los Angeles warned that PIP implants were three-and-a-half times more likely to rupture than a test group.

Around 40,000 women in the UK received the implants, manufactured by now-closed French company Poly Implant Prostheses (PIP).

The Government said those patients who had their implants on the NHS as part of breast reconstruction surgery - believed to be around 5% of the total - will be able to have them removed and replaced if they are concerned.

All women who have received an implant on the health service will be contacted and offered a consultation with their GP or their original surgical team.

They could be offered scans to see if there is any evidence that their implant has ruptured.

With the support of their doctor, women who still have concerns will be able to have them removed and replaced free of charge on the NHS.

The Government expects private firms to make the same offer to anxious women who paid for their implants privately and also wish to have them taken out.

And ministers intend to pursue private clinics to avoid the taxpayer picking up the bill.

The Department of Health said: "Private providers have legal obligations to their patients. The NHS will offer a package of care for its patients, and we expect the private sector to do the same."

If the private clinic that provided PIP implants has closed down, the NHS will pay for removing the implants if the patient is entitled to NHS care.

But it will not pay for replacements in these patients.

Some private firms have already come forward to say they will offer women free removal of their implants.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, who ordered the review, said: "We think there is a standard of care that should be provided to women.

"They should have information about what implant they have, that they should get access through a GP or a specialist to advice, imaging scans if necessary, and on the basis of that if necessary their removal."

The Association of Breast Surgery, British Association of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, the Federation of Surgical Speciality Associations and the Royal College of Surgeons welcomed the Government's announcement.

In a joint statement they said: "Surgeons' organisations applaud those private cosmetic clinics who have committed to offer treatment to their patients free of charge and fully back the Government call for the rest to follow suit."