Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Endometriosis UK's report The state of endometriosis care in the UK, published in March, and of the average diagnosis time for endometriosis.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government acknowledges the challenges faced by women with endometriosis and the impact it has on their lives, their relationships, and their participation in education and the workforce. We are committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and care for those with endometriosis.

We welcome the report published by Endometriosis UK The State of Endometriosis Care in the UK earlier this year which published concerning findings about endometriosis diagnosis times. It is unacceptable that women can wait so long for an endometriosis diagnosis, and we are taking action to address this.

Endometriosis is identified as a priority condition in the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy, where women experience unacceptably long delays to diagnosis, pain being dismissed, and fragmented care. The strategy announces a new programme to improve education for girls about their menstrual health, investing an additional £1 million to support targeted work in schools and community settings to support girls’ knowledge about menstrual health and when to seek healthcare. This is an important factor in delays in diagnosis and treatment for endometriosis.

Clinical pathways for heavy periods and pelvic pain, which can be a sign of endometriosis, will be redesigned to reduce repeat appointments, unnecessary referrals, and long waits.

This will create roadmaps for health systems to use and adapt for local needs that will enable women to move more quickly through the system and reach the level of care they need with fewer appointments. These redesigned pathways will also help systems to transform services, plan their workforce, and consider where capacity is most usefully deployed so that hospitals can provide the specialist care they are designed to, and move more care where appropriate into the community.

Women with endometriosis will benefit from single points of access for gynaecology referrals and a shift away from hospital only care towards neighbourhood and community settings.

We are also establishing an “online hospital”, NHS Online, which will give people across the country, on certain pathways, the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home. It will connect patients with clinicians across the country through secure, online appointments accessed through the NHS App.

Menstrual problems which may be a sign of endometriosis will be among the first nine conditions available for referral to NHS Online from 2027. This will allow women with menstrual problems which may be a sign of endometriosis across the country to reach a diagnosis and explore treatment options sooner.

Found: This amendment was introduced by Lord Watson of Invergowrie. 5 NAIRO strongly supports this amendment

Found: State for Health Innovation and Safety at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC); Lord Watson of Invergowrie