Following on from our 2022 report Left For Too Long, which looked to understand the scale and impact of gynaecology waiting lists in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the RCOG has continued to call for action to address the long waits faced by those waiting for planned gynaecology services.
Throughout 2024, we are working to refresh and build on the findings in our Left for too Long report. During this period, we will be undertaking a series of engagement exercises to hear from women and people accessing gynaecology services, as well as healthcare professionals working across the NHS who are involved in the diagnosis, care and treatment of gynaecological and urogynaecological conditions.
Data dashboard demonstrating the scale of the gynaecology care crisis
This novel data dashboard was developed in partnership with LCP Health Analytics. It provides a powerful visualisation of the size, scale and nature of waits in gynaecology services across the UK, bringing together a range of publicly available datasets in one place for the first time.
The dashboard demonstrates to national and local policy makers the challenge facing gynaecology services.
We hope the College’s gynaecology membership – and women across England waiting for treatment – can use this data to demand that local health leaders commit to a long term, sustainable investment and transformation of gynaecology services.
We urge the new UK Government to take action in their first 100 days in power to prioritise tackling gynaecology waits to deliver on their election pledges of prioritising women’s health and cutting waiting lists.
The wait for gynaecology services
Our new dashboard demonstrates the challenge facing gynaecology services and the need for investment and transformation.
If you have any questions about the dashboard or data within it, please email GynaecologyProject@RCOG.ORG.UK.
What are we trying to achieve?
Through this project, we aim to:
- Provide an up-to-date picture of the size, scale and nature of the waiting lists for elective gynaecology services across the UK
- Illustrate the impact of waiting lists on women and the wider health system
- Gain insights into the barriers and enablers to addressing waiting lists.
This will help us to continue to call for action to address long waits, and work with the Government and the NHS to ensure everyone has access to high-quality, timely gynaecology care.