Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Hinckley and Bosworth)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with (a) NHS England and (b) the National Institute for Health and Care Research on the role of women's hubs in supporting the (i) diagnosis, (ii) care and (iii) treatment of endometriosis.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care for gynaecological conditions including endometriosis.
Women’s health hubs bring together healthcare professionals and existing services to provide integrated women’s health services in the community, centred on meeting women’s needs across the life course. Women’s health hubs have a key role in shifting care out of hospitals and reducing gynaecology waiting lists. The assessment and treatment of menstrual problems is a core service for women’s health hubs. This includes care for heavy, painful or irregular menstrual bleeding, and for conditions such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome. The Government is committed to encouraging integrated care boards (ICBs) to further expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and to support ICBs to use the learning from the existing women’s health hubs to improve local delivery of services to women.
The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). There are two active research projects which are exploring the role of women’s health hubs in England. The first project is led by the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Reproductive Health and focuses on identifying the mechanisms for commissioning women’s health services in England, how approaches vary and what works, including women’s health hubs commissioning. The second project is led by the NIHR Policy Innovation and Evaluation Policy Research Unit and is an examination of women’s experience and access to health services for reproductive health care.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support women diagnosed with endometriosis in (a) Leicester and (b) the United Kingdom.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health and improving the care received by those suffering from gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis.
Women in Leicester experiencing symptoms of endometriosis should go to their general practitioner (GP) for an initial consultation. GPs across Leicester can refer women with suspected endometriosis to a local women’s health hub where available. There are three women’s health hubs in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, which are North-West Leicestershire Women’s Health Hub, Rutland Women’s Health Hub and The Willows Women’s Health Hub. GPs can also refer women to the endometriosis pathway, provided by University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. There are also a range of local support groups available to patients in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
Health is a devolved matter. In England, we have taken urgent action to tackle gynaecology waiting lists through the Elective Reform Plan. In gynaecology, the plan supports innovative models offering patients care closer to home, and piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres. Women’s health hubs also have a key role in shifting care out of hospitals and reducing gynaecology waiting lists. Clinical guidelines support healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat conditions. In November 2024 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published updated recommendations on the diagnosis, management and treatment of endometriosis. This is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng73
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment of (i) endometriosis and (ii) adenomyosis.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health and improving the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for gynaecological conditions. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines support healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat conditions. The NICE has published a Women’s and reproductive health guidelines, which is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/hub/indevelopment/gid-hub10001
In April 2024, the NICE published updated recommendations on the treatment of endometriosis when fertility is a priority, and in November 2024, published updated recommendations on the diagnosis and management of endometriosis. The NICE has also published a guideline on heavy menstrual bleeding assessment and management. This guideline contains recommendations for the diagnosis of women with suspected adenomyosis. Women's health is also embedded into the Royal College of General Practitioners’ curriculum for trainee general practitioners.
Tackling waiting lists is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission, and we are urgently looking into waiting times for gynecological issues, including for endometriosis and adenomyosis. Funding has been confirmed to support the delivery of our commitment of an extra 40,000 National Health Service operations, scans, and appointments per week, as a first step to delivering on the 18-week standard.
Asked by: Hamilton, Rachael (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-32175 by Jenni Minto on 23 December 2024, what proactive steps are being taken to ensure that women with endometriosis receive timely fertility advice, rather than waiting until conception difficulties arise; what percentage of women currently diagnosed with endometriosis have been referred to fertility specialists, and what the current average waiting time is for referrals to these services.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
Data regarding post-diagnosis referral to fertility services is not held by the Scottish Government.
As set out in the Endometriosis Care Pathway for NHS Scotland, clinicians should consider women’s individual needs in order to determine treatment, for example symptoms, aspects of daily living and whether fertility is a priority for that individual. The Pathway notes that discussions regarding fertility should happen in the first presentation and that management and long-term impact including fertility should be discussed during initial assessment.
Asked by: Wells, Annie (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Glasgow)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to improve endometriosis diagnosis, in light of reports that the number of women waiting over 12 weeks for gynaecology testing has increased by over 43,000.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
The 2025-26 Budget will provide a record £21.7 billion for Health and Social Care, including almost £200 million to reduce waiting lists and improve flow through hospitals. Gynaecology will be targeted as a key priority area for additional funding.
We are committed to ensuring those living with endometriosis are able to access the best possible care and support and that they benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care.
Endometriosis is one of the key priorities in the Women’s Health Plan and will continue to be so. Timely access to gynaecology services will also be a priority as we continue to develop the next phase of our Women’s Health Plan, which we aim to publish in 2025.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to Dienogest for people with endometriosis.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that develops authoritative, evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service in England on best practice. In its guideline on the diagnosis and management of endometriosis, last updated in November 2024, NICE recommends that hormonal treatment such as Dienogest should be offered to women with suspected, confirmed or recurrent endometriosis.
It is the clinician’s responsibility to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual, in consultation with them and their families and carers or guardian. Prescribers must always satisfy themselves that the medicines they consider appropriate for their patients can be safely prescribed and ensure that they take account of NICE guidelines, as well as the local commissioning decisions of their respective integrated care boards.
Asked by: Hamilton, Rachael (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-32169 by Jenni Minto on 23 December 2024, how it plans to ensure that there is continued investment in endometriosis research beyond the specific research calls listed.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
We are committed to ensuring those living with endometriosis are able to access the best possible care and support and that they benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care. Endometriosis will continue to be a priority as we develop the next phase of our Women’s Health Plan.
The Chief Scientist Office’s project and fellowship funding schemes continue to welcome applications from across the clinical spectrum, including in Endometriosis.
This funding source is well known across the women’s health research community. Applications looking at the diagnosis, treatment and management of Endometriosis are welcomed and (in common with all other applications) go through CSO’s rigorous independent expert review process to allow funding decisions to be made.
We have recently increased the number of research funding programmes run by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) open to researchers in Scotland from 4 to 9 Scottish Researchers to be able to access further NIHR research funding – Chief Scientist Officeand have worked to ensure researchers across Scotland are aware of these opportunities. Most of these programmes are open to research across the clinical spectrum, including in Endometriosis.
CSO continues to fund the NHS Research Scotland Reproductive Health and Childbirth Network which supports the delivery of a number of Endometriosis-related clinical studies across the NHS hereStudy Portfolio | NHS Research Scotland | NHS Research Scotland.
Asked by: Hamilton, Rachael (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-32166 by Jenni Minto on 23 December 2024, how it plans to enhance the role of primary care providers in the early identification and management of endometriosis, and whether there are any plans to provide GPs and other primary care professionals with more targeted training or guidelines to help identify endometriosis symptoms early in the process.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
The Endometriosis Care Pathway for NHS Scotland supports healthcare professionals, including those in primary care, to provide a holistic approach and timely care for those with endometriosis and endometriosis-like symptoms. The pathway advises healthcare professionals to suspect endometriosis in women who present with one or more endometriosis-like symptom (including in young women aged 16 and under) NHS Boards should be taking steps to implement the pathway.
To support health care professionals to improve their knowledge and understanding of endometriosis NHS Education for Scotland (NES) has launched an e-learning module on menstrual health available on Turas Learn. It is open access to anyone working in NHS Scotland and is in particular aimed at those working in primary care.
Further training resources have also been provided through the Women’s Health Masterclass on endometriosis which provided information on diagnosis, treatment and current research on endometriosis, raising awareness of the Pathway with attendees. The resources from this event are also available on Turas Learn.
Additionally, we are have funded the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to develop new training resources on endometriosis for members, which will be available in the coming months.
Asked by: Hamilton, Rachael (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-32172 by Jenni Minto on 23 December 2024, what specific data points are being collected to track long-term outcomes; how often any such data will be reviewed, and for what reason it has not reintroduced routine screening for endometriosis, in light of the reported delays in diagnosis.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
As stated in question S6W-32172 more information on women’s health data can be found in the recently published data landscape review. It sets out a range of publicly available data on the health of women in Scotland and highlights where there are gaps which need to be addressed. This is just the start of our work to improve women’s health data. Further work will be undertaken to explore the data sources and gaps in more detail.
The Endometriosis Care Pathway for NHS Scotland supports healthcare professionals to provide a holistic approach and timely care for those with endometriosis and endometriosis-like symptoms.
While there is no specific routine screening for Endometriosis, the pathway is clear and advises healthcare professionals to suspect endometriosis in women who present with one or more symptom (including in young women aged 16 and under).
Clinicians are advised to assess women’s individual information and support needs and take into account their circumstances, symptoms, priorities, priority for fertility, aspects of daily living, work and study, cultural background, and their physical, psychosexual and emotional needs.
All NHS Boards should be taking steps to implement the pathway.
Asked by: Hamilton, Rachael (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-32162 by Jenni Minto on 23 December 2024, what steps it is taking to improve the early identification of endometriosis symptoms by primary care providers, in order to reduce any reliance on A&E visits.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
The Endometriosis Care Pathway for NHS Scotland supports healthcare professionals to provide a holistic approach and timely care for those with endometriosis and endometriosis-like symptoms.
The pathway is clear and advises healthcare professionals to suspect endometriosis in women who present with one or more symptom (including in young women aged 16 and under).
Clinicians are advised to assess women’s individual information and support needs and take into account their circumstances, symptoms, priorities, desire for fertility, aspects of daily living, work and study, cultural background, and their physical, psychosexual and emotional needs.
All NHS Boards should be taking steps to implement the pathway.
To support health care professionals to improve their knowledge and understanding of endometriosis, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) has launched an e-learning module on menstrual health available on Turas Learn. It is open access to anyone working in NHS Scotland and in particular aimed at those working in primary care.
Further training resources have also been provided through the Women’s Health Masterclass on endometriosis which provided information on diagnosis, treatment and current research on endometriosis, raising awareness of the Pathway with attendees. The resources from this event are also available on Turas Learn.
Additionally, we are have funded the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to develop new training resources on endometriosis for members, which will be available in the coming months.