The gynaecology waiting list in England has risen for the fifth month in a row, despite four NHS Trusts not submitting data. The latest NHS England data, covering August 2026, shows the gynaecology waiting list now stands at 585,378.
With winter pressures still ahead, the College is warning that gynaecology services remain highly vulnerable to further setbacks. Winter demand often forces NHS trusts to divert staff, beds and theatre capacity away from planned care, risking longer waits for women already waiting in pain for treatment.
More than 12,800 patients have now been waiting over a year for gynaecology care. Under 60% of patients were seen within the Government's 18-week standard in August 2026, compared with average of over 65% across all elective specialties. Demand has continued to remain high with 115,000 new referrals this month and on average 125,594 seen this year.
The figures follow the busiest summer in the NHS's history. NHS England reported a record 7.27 million A&E attendances and a record 2.46 million ambulance call-outs between June and August. The 2024 RCOG report Waiting for a Way Forward found a quarter of women surveyed for the report had attended A&E because of their symptoms, and more than one in ten of those went on to need emergency interventions such as blood transfusions.
Behind all of these figures are women and girls living with pain and debilitating symptoms from conditions such as fibroids, endometriosis and heavy menstrual bleeding, which can have a significant impact on their health, work and daily life.
The Government has acknowledged the need to reduce gynaecology waiting lists through commitments in the renewed Women's Health Strategy, including expanding care closer to home through neighbourhood health models and women's health hubs. These are measures the RCOG has consistently called for as part of its Waiting for a Way Forward campaign. However, commitments alone will not reduce waiting times unless they are backed by clear implementation plans, workforce capacity and sustainable long-term funding.
Dr Alison Wright, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said:
"Two years ago, we published Waiting for a Way Forward, which set out a clear roadmap to tackle gynaecology waiting lists through investment in the workforce, training and facilities, and by expanding access to care closer to home.
"Now, we are seeing the gynaecology waiting list rise month after month. Watching hard-won progress now being stalled is heartbreaking, crucially of course for all the women waiting, but also for our members working tirelessly hard to meet the demand.
"We hear from the Government that the overall elective waiting list is coming down, but that is not the story for women and for gynaecology. More than 12,800 women are now waiting over a year for care.
"I very much welcome the commitments in the renewed Women's Health Strategy, many of which reflect the solutions the RCOG has long called for. However, we now need to see these ambitions backed by clear implementation plans, sustainable funding and investment in appropriate workforce and facilities. Without this, any progress we see will be temporary, and women will continue to pay the price of long waits for essential treatment."
The RCOG will continue to call on the Government to prioritise tackling gynaecology waiting times through long-term investment in the workforce, training and facilities and with clear, funded implementation plans for the commitments made in the renewed strategy.
- The RCOG's data dashboard on elective recovery for gynaecology is here.
- Read more about our campaign to tackle long gynaecology waiting lists here.
- Read Waiting for a Way Forward (2024) here.
- Read New Year: Still waiting for a way forward (2026) here.
ENDS
Contact: pressoffice@rcog.org.uk | +44 (0) 7986 183167