Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to improve waiting times for gynaecological appointments in England.

Women’s health is a priority for the Government, including tackling gynaecology waiting lists. We are committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients are treated within 18 weeks of referral to consultant-led care by March 2029.

Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out several actions to improve gynaecology waiting times. This includes innovative models of care that offer care closer-to-home and in-the-community; piloting gynaecology pathways in Community Diagnostic Centres for patients with post-menopausal bleeding, and; increasing the relative funding available to incentivise providers to take on more gynaecology procedures. These reforms will mean shorter waits and more convenient gynaecological care for patients.

Wider elective reforms, including widening opportunities for direct advice to referrers from specialists, introducing more straight to test pathways, taking action to reduce missed appointments and ramping up remote monitoring and patient-initiated follow up, will also improve gynaecology waiting times. These changes will provide flexibility and convenience for patients, whilst freeing up appointments for those who need them.

We are also introducing an “online hospital” called NHS Online, and women’s health issues, including severe menopause symptoms and menstrual problems that may be a sign of endometriosis or fibroids, will be among the conditions available to be referred to this hospital from 2027. This will give patients the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home, providing additional appointments to cut waiting times.

The Department does not hold data on the current average waiting time for urgent gynaecology appointments. For urgent suspected cancer referrals, the Faster Diagnosis Standard requires that 75% of patients are informed within 28 days whether they have cancer. For suspected gynaecological cancers, national performance as of November 2025 against the Faster Diagnosis Standard in England is 68.6%.

The National Cancer Plan, which will be published this year, aims to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer in England, including gynaecological cancers. The plan will set out how the Government will improve outcomes for cancer patients, and speed up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates.