As long waiting times for non-cancer gynaecology care continue, the RCOG is 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.
The call comes as the latest NHS figures for England were published last week (February 2025), the figures reveal that in December 2024:
- The gynaecology waiting list in England stands at 586,013.
- In comparison to November 2024 data, the number of women waiting for non-cancer gynaecology treatment has increased by 1,406.
- In comparison to November 2024 data, the number of women waiting over 52 weeks for gynaecology treatment has decreased by 1,950.
- The numbers of new referrals into gynaecology in December 2024 is 28% higher compared the number of new referrals into gynaecology recorded in March 2020.
In response to the latest government data on elective waiting times, Dr Ranee Thakar, President of the RCOG said:
“Healthcare professionals across the system are working tirelessly to recover the waiting list backlog. It is promising to see some green shoots of progress with the number of women waiting over 52 weeks for gynaecology treatment having fallen in the latest available data for December. We feel it is important to acknowledge the hard work of professionals, especially during winter.
“However, it is deeply concerning how many women and people are still waiting too long for gynaecology care both in and outside of hospital.
“In our recent Waiting for a way forward report we recommended that the UK Government expanded Women’s Health Hubs in an equitable and sustainable way. The hub model increases the services women can access in the community, they also play an important role in delivering improved efficiency across the system, ultimately cutting waiting lists. There has been progress to establish women’s health hubs across England, however, we are deeply concerned that the state of integrated care system finances could force many to discontinue or scale back their hubs, especially given there is now no guaranteed central funding or mandate for them to continue.
“We urge the Government to commit to sustained investment in gynaecology services to ensure women can access diagnosis and treatment when they need it.”