The Guardian reports that the Conservatives have been accused of “failing women” as analysis reveals gynaecology waiting times have trebled in the past decade. NHS England data shows that in October 2012, the average waiting time to see a gynaecologist was 4.8 weeks. By October 2022, the most recent month for which figures are available, that figure had increased by 225% to 15.6 weeks.
Many of the conditions experienced by women waiting to see a gynaecologist are progressive. Left untreated, they can need more complex or invasive surgery. Thousands are living in extreme pain as a result of the long waits, doctors, health experts and charities told the Guardian.
The figures reveal that 38,231 women have been waiting more than a year. Ten years ago there were 15 women in England waiting longer than 12 months – and no one waiting two years. Today, 69 women have been waiting more than 24 months.
The analysis, by Labour, also reveals a “postcode lottery” in access to gynaecological treatment, with women living in areas the Conservatives had promised to level up facing some of the longest waiting times for appointments.
Full story in The Guardian, 19 December 2022