Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to develop national guidelines on the provision of hysteroscopies for investigating suspected gynaecological conditions.

The National Institute for Health and Care’s guidelines for heavy menstrual bleeding suggest that hysteroscopy should be used as a diagnostic tool only when ultrasound results are inconclusive, for example, to determine the exact location of a fibroid or the exact nature of the abnormality. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ guidelines outlines best practice in outpatient hysteroscopy and identifies that outpatient treatment has both clinical and economic benefits. The Royal College is updating its clinical guidelines which are expected to be published in 2023.