Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to reduce diagnosis time for adenomyosis.

It is unacceptable that women can wait a long time for an adenomyosis diagnosis, and we are committed to improving waiting times for diagnosis and treatment so patients can get the care they need sooner.

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy announces a new programme to improve education for girls about their menstrual health, investing an additional £1 million from this year 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 to delays in diagnosis and treatment for adenomyosis.

Clinical pathways for heavy periods and pelvic pain will be redesigned to reduce repeat appointments, unnecessary referrals, and long waits. Women with adenomyosis 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 introducing an “online hospital”, NHS Online. From 2027, people on certain pathways, including menstrual problems that may be a sign of adenomyosis, will have the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home. NHS Online will help to reduce patient waiting times, delivering the equivalent of up to 8.5 million appointments and assessments in its first three years.