There is an “urgent need for action” to tackle soaring gynaecology waiting lists, top medics have said as they warned that some women are forced to “endure months of suffering”.
Long waits are resulting in emergency admissions due to worsening ill-health, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) said.
The waiting list for gynaecological care in England currently stands at almost 600,000, RCOG said.
Almost half (46%) had been waiting for longer than the target of 18 weeks and one in 20 (5%) had been waiting for more than a year as of April 2024, according to new analysis by the College.
The figures suggest that, as of April, 29,660 women had been waiting for more than a year.
Meanwhile, data on emergency admissions show that, in March 2021, there were almost 143,000 emergency admissions in gynaecology, rising to nearly 170,000 in March 2023 – the latest figures available.
The College has produced a new data dashboard showing the proportion of long waits around the UK.
Officials said the data, published with the help of LCP Health Analytics, reveal a “postcode lottery” of care, with some patients having to wait weeks longer, on average, compared with others in neighbouring regions.
RCOG said that, since 2020, gynaecology waiting lists in England have grown faster than any other specialty.
Every month more patients are referred to gynaecology services than are seen and treated, the College added.
The dashboard states that across the UK the current waiting list for gynaecology services stands at 751,531.
Women’s health has long been deprioritised and underfunded, but our new dashboard has, for the first time, revealed the true scale of the gynaecology care crisis
Dr Ranee Thakar, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Jane Plumb, women’s voices lead at RCOG, said: “Shockingly, over three-quarters of a million women and people across the UK are being left to grapple with serious, often progressive, gynaecological conditions, enduring months – sometimes years – of suffering.
“We’ve heard from thousands of women and people about this – the impact reaches every part of their lives.
“Some have even been forced to give up work due to the severity of their symptoms.
“Even worse, those in more deprived areas face the longest wait times, piling inequality upon inequality. It’s time to act on this urgent issue.”
RCOG president Dr Ranee Thakar said: “Women’s health has long been deprioritised and underfunded, but our new dashboard has, for the first time, revealed the true scale of the gynaecology care crisis.
“The women I see in my clinic are grappling with serious conditions like prolapse and incontinence. This has a devastating effect on their mental health, family life, and ability to work or even leave their house.
“Gynaecology and urogynaecology teams are doing their best but are simply unable to provide timely care.
“ Data can be powerful in driving change and the College produced this dashboard to evidence the urgent need for action.
If the new UK Government wants to deliver their election pledges of prioritising women’s health and cutting waiting lists, then tackling gynaecology waits must be top of their list
Dr Ranee Thakar, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
“If the new UK Government wants to deliver their election pledges of prioritising women’s health and cutting waiting lists, then tackling gynaecology waits must be top of their list. We urge them to take action in their first 100 days in power to show they are serious about change.”
It comes as the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare wrote to Health Secretary Wes Streeting to urge him to prioritise sexual and reproductive health “as a matter of urgency”.
The letter, written by Faculty president Dr Janet Barter and signed by more than 800 clinicians, highlights “shocking health inequalities women and girls currently face across the UK”.
It states that “too many people are unable to access the critical services they need”.
Dr Barter said: “We know that reproductive health is a fundamental part of women’s health and must be central to the Government’s plans in this area.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “It is unacceptable that so many women are not receiving the gynaecology care they need, when they need it. This Government is determined to change that and is committed to prioritising women’s health.
“We have launched an investigation into the NHS, led by Professor Lord Darzi, to uncover the extent of the issues facing the nation’s health service, the first step on the road to recovery for the NHS.”
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