Health Secretary Pledges Faster Cuts to Gynaecology Waiting Lists
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has made a firm commitment that waiting lists for women requiring gynaecology services will be reduced at a faster rate than the overall NHS waiting list. This pledge comes as part of a sweeping overhaul of women's healthcare, which Streeting launched while criticising what he described as an "appalling culture of medical misogyny" within the National Health Service.
A Culture of Medical Misogyny
Speaking at a launch event for the renewed Women's Health Strategy in south London, Streeting stated that women have often been made to feel like "second-class citizens whose voices don't matter." He emphasised that the NHS, despite being founded on principles of equality, does not treat all patients equally. The Health Secretary pointed to specific data showing that average waiting times for gynaecology care have surged to 15 weeks, up dramatically from 6.4 weeks in 2018. Currently, there are 565,000 women waiting for gynaecology care across England.
"When I look at the rise in waiting lists overall, it doesn't explain the disproportionate rise in the gynaecology waiting list," Streeting declared. "That's why it's my intention that, as well as bringing down NHS waiting lists and waiting times overall, we will cut the gynaecology waiting list faster than the overall waiting list."
Strategy Details and Criticisms
The new strategy document outlines 117 specific action points aimed at improving women's healthcare. Key pledges include reforms to tackle "outdated and misogynistic practices" surrounding pain relief for invasive procedures. Additionally, women will be empowered to contribute to withholding payments for services if they experience poor treatment. The strategy vows to "eliminate the diagnostic odyssey" for conditions like endometriosis and fibroids, ensuring women are "listened to and taken seriously at the first time of asking."
However, several organisations have expressed disappointment, arguing that the strategy does not go far enough. The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) stated that the Government had "missed an opportunity" by not making maternity services a headline priority. Gill Walton, chief executive of the RCM, said: "We are deeply disappointed that maternity services do not feature as a headline priority in today's renewed Women's Health Strategy. This is a significant missed opportunity and one that is very difficult to understand."
Similarly, campaign group Sling the Mesh, which represents women harmed by pelvic mesh implants, expressed deep disappointment. Kath Sansom from the group called for ministers to include specialist pelvic floor physiotherapy education for girls in schools as part of the new period education programme announced in the strategy.
Broader Health Inequalities
The strategy also addresses broader health inequalities. Ministers have pledged to improve healthy life expectancy for women in the poorest parts of the country, aiming to increase it from 50.5 years to at least 61 years. Furthermore, the document commits to improving safety in maternity services following numerous failings highlighted in hospitals nationwide. An independent review of maternity care, launched in June last year, is expected to report its findings within the coming months.
Despite these commitments, Craig Jones, chief executive of the Royal Osteoporosis Society, criticised the strategy for failing to implement fracture prevention clinics. "Patients need the fracture prevention clinics promised by Wes Streeting," Jones said. "Delays to the implementation of this policy are costing lives."
Looking Forward
In the foreword to the report, Streeting wrote: "The NHS has a problem with basic, everyday sexism and an appalling culture of medical misogyny. Being ignored, gaslit, humiliated and disrespected are all-too-common experiences for far too many women. Our mission is to dismantle the culture and ingrained behaviours that allow medical misogyny to fester and grow."
Dr Sue Mann, NHS England's clinical director for women's health, supported the strategy, stating: "The renewed Women's Health Strategy will build significantly on the work the NHS has been doing to ensure women are heard and get the specialist care they need."
The latest NHS figures show that an estimated 7.25 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of January, relating to 6.13 million patients. New data is set to be published, underscoring the urgency of these reforms as the Government seeks to address systemic issues in women's healthcare.
