Sunday 27 November 2022 01:26 AM Women left in agony by 18-month gynaecology waiting list on the NHS trends now
More than 40,000 women have been waiting for more than a year to see a gynaecologist, NHS statistics reveal.
Among them are almost 5,000 patients who have been on the waiting list for more than 18 months. Many are in agony as they wait for surgical procedures.
In 2019 there were just 54 women who had been waiting more than a year.
The NHS target time for a gynaecology appointment is within 18 weeks of referral and last night experts and MPs warned that women are being 'failed', condemning the situation as 'totally unacceptable'.
This year, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) found gynaecology had experienced the biggest waiting list increases of all medical specialities after the pandemic.
Many women have been referred after presenting symptoms of endometriosis, a potentially agonising condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other parts of the body, including the ovaries and fallopian tubes.
More than 40,000 women have been waiting for more than a year to see a gynaecologist, NHS statistics reveal. Stock image of a gynecological room in a female clinic
An exclusive analysis of NHS statistics shows that 40,076 women have been waiting more than a year to see a gynaecologist, with a total of 549,281 women in England now on a waiting list – one in every 50 females aged 11 and up.
Just 55 per cent are seen within the target time of 18 weeks, down from 85 per cent two years ago.
Faye Farthing, of charity Endometriosis UK, said: 'Women are struggling with debilitating symptoms.
'It cannot be the case of 'wait or pay' Nobody should face decisions between their finances and health.'
One of those affected by the condition was Chelsea FC women's team manager Emma Hayes, who struggled for four years to get a diagnosis from GPs despite being in agony. In October she underwent an emergency hysterectomy using private health insurance.
She said: 'If these conditions were suffered by a man there would be zero chance you would be waiting [as long]. It's up to our Government to invest in healthcare.'
One of those affected by the condition was Chelsea FC women's team manager Emma Hayes (pictured), who struggled for four years to get a diagnosis from GPs despite being in agony. In October she
