Now must be the time for the Government to take action on gynaecology waiting times.
Data from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) shows that over three quarters of a million women (752,531) in the UK are currently waiting for hospital gynaecology services.
Since 2020, gynaecology waiting lists in England have grown faster each month than any other elective specialty in percentage terms and are now over double the size they were prior to the pandemic.
Latest research from Endometriosis UK in March 2024 also shows that it takes on average eight years and 10 months to get a diagnosis of endometriosis in the UK.
Let that sink in. Still, in 2024, women are waiting longer than ever to get the help they need.
This unacceptable wait is yet another example of how women’s health has been deprioritised and underfunded, and how this has to change.
The physical and mental toll of lengthy diagnosis and waiting times on those with endometriosis cannot be overstated.
Not only can the disease worsen if left untreated, but the impact on someone’s education, career, relationships and mental health can be devastating.
The new Labour Government have the opportunity for this to be a real turning point in how endometriosis care is delivered.
We want to see a commitment in the first 100 days of Government for gynaecology waiting times to be cut. Without this commitment, those with the disease will continue to face potential barriers in accessing treatment and care.
Cutting gynaecology waiting times will take funding and resources – but implementing the right pathways and increasing capacity would not only reduce the suffering of those with the disease, but ultimately save the NHS time and resources.
We need to see the expansion of capacity in the long term to appropriately diagnose and provide treatment and pain management for those experiencing symptoms of those with suspected and diagnosed endometriosis.
There also needs to be equitable access to non-surgical diagnostic testing; which would require upskilling sonographers to recognise the signs of endometriosis.
And ultimately – we need every healthcare practitioner to be educated to recognise the symptoms of endometriosis so that those experiencing symptoms are listened to, and placed on the correct pathway or correctly referred if we are to see diagnosis and waiting times reduced.
There’s a lot that needs to change – and endometriosis care cannot be fixed overnight.
But now is the time for the Government to step in and deliver long awaited hope and change for the 1.5 million with endometriosis.
– Faye Farthing is head of communications at Endometriosis UK
