Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce diagnostic waiting times for endometriosis in (a) England and (b) Chichester constituency.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Patients waiting for an endometriosis diagnosis may receive diagnostic tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound, though the only definitive way to diagnose endometriosis is by a laparoscopic procedure. The laparoscopy is also used to treat endometriosis.
To improve diagnosis times, we are transforming diagnostic services and taking steps to increase diagnostic capacity. This includes expanding existing community diagnostic centres (CDCs), building up to five new ones as part of £600 million capital funding for diagnostics in 2025/26 and opening more CDCs 12 hours per day, seven days a week.
NHS Sussex ICB have increased diagnostic capacity by setting up a well-established CDC programme. Seven CDCs operate across Sussex, including University of Chichester Bognor CDC, and are expected to deliver an additional 460,000 diagnostic tests in 2025/26, including 40,000 MRI scans, and nearly 90,000 ultrasound scans.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
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 (a) diagnosis, (b) treatment and (c) ongoing care for patients with endometriosis.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, including endometriosis diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care. It is unacceptable that women can wait so long for an endometriosis diagnosis, and we have already taken action to address this.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) updated their guideline on endometriosis in November 2024 to make firmer recommendations on referral and investigations, and this will help women receive a diagnosis and effective treatment faster.
Research has led to new treatments being made available, including the NICE approval of two pills to treat endometriosis this year, namely Relugolix and Linzagolix. Both are estimated to help approximately 1,000 women with severe endometriosis for whom other treatment options haven’t been effective.
Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Department has commissioned several studies focused on endometriosis diagnosis, treatment, and patient experience. At present, the NIHR is funding five active research awards into endometriosis totalling an investment of approximately £5.5 million. A further £2.3 million award on the effectiveness of pain management for endometriosis is due to commence in March 2026.
We are expanding the number of dedicated and protected surgical hubs, of which gynaecology procedures are a key offering.
As announced in September, we will establish an “online hospital”, NHS Online, which will give people on certain pathways the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home. Menstrual problems that may be a sign of several conditions, including endometriosis, will be among the conditions available for referral to NHS Online from 2027.
NHS England is also updating the service specification for severe endometriosis which is due to be published in due course. This will improve the standards of care for women with severe endometriosis by ensuring specialist endometriosis services have access to the most up-to-date evidence and advice.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure the guidance on endometriosis published by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is effectively implemented.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government acknowledges the challenges faced by women with endometriosis and the impact it has on their lives, their relationships, and their participation in education and the workforce.
We are committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for gynaecological conditions including endometriosis, and we have already taken action to address this.
In November 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) updated its guideline on the diagnosis and management of endometriosis. The guideline, Endometriosis: diagnosis and management, aims to raise awareness of endometriosis symptoms, and to provide clear advice on referral, diagnosis, and the range of treatments available.
NICE will be working with National Health Service systems to ensure adoption of this best practice endometriosis care, including access to approved medicines.
NHS England encourages adherence to guidance publications by NICE. However, professionals and practitioners are expected to exercise their judgement when taking NICE guidelines into account, alongside the individual needs, preferences, and values of their patients or the people using their service. It is not mandatory to apply the recommendations, and the guideline does not override the responsibility to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual, in consultation with them and their families, and carers or guardian.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help health authorities deliver endometriosis services in (a) East Sussex and (b) areas where the prevalence endometriosis is higher than the national average.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis, and we have already taken action to address this.
In November 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) updated their guideline on endometriosis, which makes firmer recommendations for healthcare professionals on referral and investigations for women with suspected diagnosis. This will help the estimated one in 10 women with endometriosis receive a diagnosis faster. NICE will be working with National Health Service systems to ensure adoption of this best practice endometriosis care, including access to approved medicines across all regions.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve waiting times for gynaecological (i) consultant appointments and (ii) surgery.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Reducing waiting lists is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission, and we are committed to cutting waiting times across all specialities, including gynaecology. We have committed to return to the National Health Service constitutional standard, that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment, by March 2029. We are making good progress, as waiting lists have been cut by over 310,000 since the Government came into office, which includes almost 20,000 patients waiting for gynaecology treatment over the same period.
Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, set out the reforms we are making to improve gynaecology waiting times, across England. 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. It also includes expanding the number of surgical hubs, which provide valuable and protected capacity across elective specialities, including gynaecology. Currently, over half of the 125 operational elective surgical hubs in England provide gynaecology services. Wider elective reforms will help cut waiting times for gynaecology services, including more consistent clinical triage, tackling missed appointments, and scaling up remote monitoring and use of patient-initiated follow ups. We are also introducing an “online hospital”, through NHS Online. From 2027, people on certain pathways, including severe menopause symptoms and menstrual problems that may be a sign of endometriosis or fibroids, will have the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home, providing additional appointments to cut waiting times.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide additional resources to gynaecology services to help reduce waiting times.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Reducing waiting lists is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission, and we are committed to cutting waiting times across all specialities, including gynaecology. We have committed to return to the National Health Service constitutional standard, that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment, by March 2029. We are making good progress, as waiting lists have been cut by over 310,000 since the Government came into office, which includes almost 20,000 patients waiting for gynaecology treatment over the same period.
Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, set out the reforms we are making to improve gynaecology waiting times, across England. 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. It also includes expanding the number of surgical hubs, which provide valuable and protected capacity across elective specialities, including gynaecology. Currently, over half of the 125 operational elective surgical hubs in England provide gynaecology services. Wider elective reforms will help cut waiting times for gynaecology services, including more consistent clinical triage, tackling missed appointments, and scaling up remote monitoring and use of patient-initiated follow ups. We are also introducing an “online hospital”, through NHS Online. From 2027, people on certain pathways, including severe menopause symptoms and menstrual problems that may be a sign of endometriosis or fibroids, will have the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home, providing additional appointments to cut waiting times.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure that people from (a) ethnic minority and (b) low socio-economic backgrounds have adequate access to endometriosis diagnosis services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government acknowledges the challenges faced by women with endometriosis and the impact it has on their lives, their relationships, and their participation in education and the workforce.
The 10-Year Health Plan described our reimagined National Health Service, which will be designed to tackle inequalities in both access and outcomes, as well as to give everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, the means to engage with the NHS on their own terms.
We are committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis for all women, and we have already taken action to address this.
£25 million has been invested in women’s health hubs to improve care for common gynaecological and urogynaecological conditions, with care for endometriosis outlined as a core service within the women’s health hubs. The women’s health hubs aim to address gaps in provision and long waiting times, specifically for those from low socio-economic background or those who are from minority ethnic backgrounds.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has updated their guidelines on endometriosis in November 2024, with two new treatments having been approved, and we are investing £5.6 million into research to support our efforts in gynaecology and are taking action to cut gynaecology waiting lists through our Elective Reform Plan.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish national data on endometriosis diagnostic waiting times.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not centrally hold data on the number of women in England and Wales awaiting specialised endometriosis care, or on the waiting times for patients waiting for a diagnosis of endometriosis.
However, in England, the waiting list for gynaecology care, which includes those waiting for endometriosis care, stands at 575,986. This is a reduction of 19,979 since the Government came into office. Consultant-led Referral to Treatment Waiting Times data, which includes the above data, is published monthly at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/rtt-waiting-times/rtt-data-2025-26/
Data is currently published on the waiting times for diagnostic tests that are used along an endometriosis pathway, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound, but does not differentiate between the suspected diagnosis. This can be found in the Monthly Diagnostic Waiting Times and Activity dataset, published monthly at the following link:
The following table shows the number of patients waiting for MRI and non-obstetric ultrasound, as of November 2025:
| Total waiting list | Number waiting over six weeks | Percentage waiting over six weeks |
MRI | 362,208 | 67,557 | 18.7% |
Non-obstetric ultrasound | 627,473 | 115,909 | 18.5% |
Asked by: Laura Kyrke-Smith (Labour - Aylesbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce gynaecology waiting lists, which include those who need a diagnosis of, and treatment for, endometriosis.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Reducing waiting lists is a key part of the Government’s Health Mission. We are committed to putting patients first by ensuring that they are seen on time and that they have the best possible experience of care. Our Elective Reform Plan (ERP), published in January 2025, sets out reforms we are making to improve gynaecology waiting times across England. 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.
We are also introducing an “online hospital”, NHS Online, which will give people who are experiencing menstrual problems which may be a sign of endometriosis the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home.
Lastly, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence updated their guidelines on endometriosis in November 2024, and two new treatments have been approved.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will consider providing additional funding and resources to support BSGE-accredited endometriosis services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government acknowledges the challenges faced by women with endometriosis and the impact it has on their lives, their relationships, and their participation in education and the workforce. We are committed to improving the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing care for gynaecological conditions including endometriosis.
The 10-Year Health Plan set out our ambition for high autonomy to be the norm across every part of the country. Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning services that meet the healthcare needs of their local population and have the freedom to do so, and this includes women's health hubs and delivering the direction of the Women's Health Strategy. The Government is backing ICBs to do this through record funding. The 2025 Spending Review prioritised health, with record investment in the health and social care system.