UK gynaecology care crisis causing devastating impact says new RCOG report
Over three quarters of a million (763,694) women and people are currently waiting for months and years with serious gynaecological conditions.
The gynaecology care crisis in the UK in having a devastating impact on women and NHS staff, according to a new report from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG).
The report, ‘Waiting for a way forward: Voices of women and healthcare professionals at the centre of the gynaecology care crisis’, shows that over three quarters of a million (763,694) women and people* are currently waiting for months and years with serious gynaecological conditions.
These lengthy delays mean that over three quarters (76%) of women waiting for care report worsening mental health, after RCOG surveyed over 2000 affected women and over 300 healthcare professionals to fully understand the impact of the care crisis. Over two thirds of affected women (69%) report being unable to take part in daily activities including work.
Those sharing their experiences include India Weir, a 27-year-old from Edinburgh, who is waiting for surgery to manage endometriosis and ovarian cysts. Also included was Kerry Briggs, a 50-something from Manchester who has been on waiting lists for treatments for fibroids since January 2023. She said she feels stuck in the house, has experienced ongoing pain and anaemia due to blood loss and continual anxiety. “There is no part of my life left untouched by this,” she told RCOG.
The number of women now waiting for hospital gynaecology services would fill Wembley stadium eight times over. And more women are also now requiring emergency care to manage severe symptoms, with gynaecology emergency admissions in England increasing by a third (33%) between 2021 and 2024.
In England alone, there are 592,662 people on the waiting list for gynaecology - an increase of 107% since before the pandemic. NHS targets are set for 92% of patients to have a referral-to-treatment time of less than 18 weeks.
Dr Ranee Thakar, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said:
“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.”
Deep concern from healthcare professionals
Healthcare professionals too reported being deeply concerned for their patients and the majority of primary (65%) and secondary care clinicians (69%) surveyed reported their own health and wellbeing has been affected by managing pressure in their clinics.
Additionally, over 90% of primary care professionals reported a severe impact on general practice due to longer waits for hospital gynaecology services.
As part of the research, RCOG has released a data dashboard to visualise the crisis. The Elective Recovery Tracker visualises the size, scale and nature of waits in gynaecology services across the UK, bringing together the publicly available datasets in one place for the first time.
This tool aims to support both patients and health professionals in advocating for sustainable changes in women’s healthcare, demonstrating to national and local policy makers the challenge facing gynaecology services.
Long-term sustainable funding required
The RCOG is now calling on the UK Government to deliver urgent help for women and people currently waiting for hospital gynaecology care, and for long-term, sustained funding to address the complex systemic issues driving waiting list growth.
There are also calls for an expansion of the Women’s Health Hubs, accessible professional guidance to support women on waiting lists, and a focus on building on existing digital initiatives - expanding data collection in gynaecology and ringfenced funding to enable research, patient participation, innovation and pilots to improve understanding and experiences of gynaecology.
Waiting for a way forward follows on from the RCOG’s 2022 Left for Too Long report, and makes recommendations on how governments can support the health system to deliver high quality gynaecology care across the UK.