Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on waiting times for hysteroscopies with an anaesthetist in North Shropshire.

No recent formal assessment has been made of the adequacy of the availability of hysteroscopy procedures under anaesthetic in North Shropshire and in England.

The information held by NHS England on hysteroscopy waiting times at the NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board does not readily allow hysteroscopy procedures with an anaesthetist to be separately identified.

It is unacceptable that some women have such poor experiences of hysteroscopies. Women must be given the opportunity to speak to the doctor or nurse before having the procedure about what to expect, and to discuss pain relief options, including the option of local or general anaesthetic. Women can also discuss the option of alternative treatment, such as pelvic ultrasound.

For patients in North Shropshire, the gynaecological unit within the Shropshire Women and Children’s Centre at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford provides women with access to hysteroscopy services.

It is our aim to treat all women as individuals, acknowledge they have unique expectations and unique physical, psychological, emotional, and cultural needs. The Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust is committed to providing a quality service for women that provides care with courtesy, kindness, and warmth for women and their families.