Important information for patients

Nuffield Health will meet costs of investigating or removing PIP implant

We know that the recent media coverage may have worried patients who have had breast implants. The specific implants that there are concerns about were made by a French company called PIP (Poly Implant Prosthese).

Nuffield Health only used a small number of these implants in only a few of our hospitals, however we would like to reassure any of our patients who might be concerned that, if there is a clinical need to do so, we will cover the cost of investigating or removing your implants.

Official government investigations have yet to determine whether PIP implants could pose a specific risk. But, we know that if you have PIP implants you may have concerns and you may wish to contact your implanting consultant for an appointment. You can find the details of your consultant here.

If you have breast implants but are not sure what brand you have, please contact the hospital at which you underwent your surgery or your implanting surgeon. They will be able to check your records and let you know if you had PIP implants. If you did have this brand the hospital will be able to give you the details of your consultant and if you do have concerns you may wish to contact them to arrange an appointment. You can find the details of your Nuffield Health hospital here.

Please be assured that Nuffield Health has no current evidence that rupture rates in Nuffield Health hospitals are higher than other brands and that to date, the MHRA has found no link to cancer. We are following guidelines issued by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority (MHRA) as we have done since the alert was issued in March 2010, and whose current advice is there is no need for immediate concern. There is currently no indication that women should have their implants removed. The MHRA has conducted their own tests and is monitoring all concerns and issues and will issue a statement if there is a news update.

However, our key ambition is always to do the best for you, our patients, and should any procedure carried out at one of our hospitals give cause for concern, we have always, and will continue to, take responsibility to resolve outstanding issues. This includes PIP breast implants.

We wrote to patients with PIP implants in 2010 advising them of the alert and inviting them to make an appointment to see their implanting surgeon if they had concerns. For those who had a clinical need, we explanted their implants at our expense. As soon as we have more information we will contact patients again, to advise them of the next steps.

If you have had PIP implants in a Nuffield Health hospital, and, after consultation with your consultant, it is agreed there is a clinical need for investigation or removal of the PIP implants, we will ensure costs are covered at no further expense to you.

You can find out more about what steps you need to take on our questions and answers page.