Gynaecology wait lists now exceed 750,000
Following on from the RCOG 2022 report Left For Too Long, they have now undertaken new research to understand the ongoing impact of gynaecology waiting times on women. Healthcare professionals across the system were also spoken to to deepen understanding of the barriers and solutions to addressing gynaecology waiting lists.
The RCOG found that as a result of long waiting times, many women were now living with increasingly complex conditions and severe symptoms. A quarter of women who responded to the survey reported that they had attended A&E as a result of their symptoms, with more than 1 in 10 of those women going on to have emergency interventions, such as blood transfusions. Professionals across primary and secondary care said they were deeply concerned for women waiting, but often felt helpless at not being able to expedite waits.
Women deserve to access better care quickly and easily and professionals deserve to have the time, tools and training to deliver the best care they can for their patients.
Key recommendations from the RCOG
A way forward is urgently needed for women waiting and the healthcare professionals delivering care. The RCOG are calling on governments across the UK to fund and deliver comprehensive support to urgently improve care for women waiting now. This should include ensuring access to free products to manage symptoms and improving communication, information and advice. Health services also need additional resources to increase capacity and training time in gynaecology and deliver initiatives to improve care, so they can expedite long waits.
The RCOG also ask the UK Government to ensure they deliver for the future by addressing systemic issues and ensure that every woman in the UK can access high-quality gynaecology care when and where they need it. This includes the equitable and sustainable expansion of Women’s Health Hubs, retention and recruitment of the gynaecology workforce and increasing the levels of funding allocated to health across the UK, including in the devolved nations.
Dr Ranee Thakar, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, says:
“A way forward is urgently needed to tackle the UK gynaecology crisis. Our new report shows too many women are waiting too long with serious conditions that can devastate their lives. NHS staff are also deeply concerned and distressed that they do not have the necessary resources to deliver good care, affecting their own wellbeing.
“UK governments must act now. The RCOG is calling on them to commit to long-term, sustained funding to address the systemic issues driving waiting lists, alongside delivering an urgent support package for those currently on waiting lists. This investment will not only benefit thousands of individual women but the wider economy too, because the evidence shows that healthy women are the cornerstone of healthy societies. Get it right for women and everyone benefits.”
Read the new report from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which shows the ongoing impact of gynaecology waiting times and sets out recommendations on how governments across the UK can support the health system to tackle this issue:
