Government to pay for removal of NHS implants There is no evidence to recommend the routine removal of PIP implants from about 40,000 women in the UK, the Government said today. But it said the 5 per cent of women who had their implants on the NHS as part of breast reconstruction surgery will be able to have them removed and replaced if they are concerned, and following consultation with their doctor. The Government said it expects private firms to offer the same deal to anxious women who also wish to have their implants removed. A Government review ordered by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley has concluded there is no clear evidence that patients with PIP implants are at greater risk of harm than those with other implants. Advice from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has not changed: there is still no evidence of health risks to support routine removal of the implants. But experts behind the review concluded that anxiety is a form of health risk and recognised that many women would be anxious. All women who have received an implant on the NHS will be contacted to inform them that they have a PIP implant and to provide relevant information and advice. Women who wish to will able to seek a consultation with their GP, or with the surgical team who carried out the original implant, to seek clinical advice on the best way forward. This could include scans to see if there is any evidence that the implant has ruptured. According to the NHS offer, "the NHS will support removal of PIP implants if, informed by an assessment of clinical need, risk or the impact of unresolved concerns, a woman with her doctor decides that it is right to do so." The NHS will replace the implants if the original operation was done by the NHS. The expert group behind the review agreed there is no link between the implants and cancer, as reported in one French case. But it said it was "undeniably the case" that the implants are made up of non-medical grade silicone and should not have been implanted in women in the first place. The expert group was unable to establish if the rupture rate is higher for PIP implants than for others. It said that in those PIP implants that have been tested, there is no risk of dangerous toxins leaking into the body from rupture. But experts could not be confident that PIP did not change the silicone in the implants, so cannot rule out the possibility that some are toxic. In a statement published by the Department of Health, it said it expected private firms to match the NHS offer on removal and replacement of the implants among those women with concerns. We expect the private sector to do the same for their patients. We believe that private providers have a duty to take steps to provide appropriate after-care to patients they have treated. 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 clinic that provided PIP implants has closed down, the NHS will pay for removing the implants if the patient is entitled to NHS care. It will not pay for replacing the implants with new ones in those patients who originally went private. The Government also intends to pursue private clinics to avoid the taxpayer picking up the bill. Mr Lansley said: "Throughout the past few weeks, my main concern has been for the safety of and compassion for women who have had PIP implants. It has been a worrying time for these women. We have at every stage sought to offer them as much advice and evidence as is available to us. Our advice remains the same, that there is not sufficient evidence to recommend routine removal. We have always recommended that women who are concerned should speak to their surgeon or GP. The NHS will support removal of PIP implants if, after this consultation, the patient still has concerns and with her doctor she decides that it is right to do so. We believe that private healthcare providers have a moral duty to offer the same service to their patients that we will offer to NHS patients - free information, consultations, scans and removal if necessary. Throughout this process we have followed expert advice. The data available to the experts has not been good enough to enable them to give a clear recommendation of the risk posed by PIP implants. We will therefore support women, including removal of the implant, if needed.