The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has responded to the latest NHS England elective waiting list statistics for gynaecology.
The Government has met its interim target of 65% patients seen within the 18-week standard. The latest figures also show a modest reduction in the gynaecology waiting list, and the RCOG welcomes this progress. However, the list remains unacceptably high, demand continues to grow, and too many women are still waiting far too long for the care they need. Data headlines:
- 554,373 women are currently on gynaecology waiting lists across England.
- Referrals into gynaecology have increased dramatically this month, with almost 138,000 new referrals - an increase of almost 18,000 since the previous month.
- The number of patients seen within 18 weeks increased from 57.9% to 60.8%.
- Gynaecology remains in the top 5 (fifth position) across specialties with numbers of referrals seen.
In response to the data, Dr Alison Wright, President of the RCOG said:
"The Government is right to recognise the hard work of NHS staff in delivering the biggest reduction in waiting lists in 17 years, but the picture is still troubling for gynaecology. Performance remains around 4.5 percentage points below the elective average, referrals surged by 18,000 in a single month, and over 550,000 women are still waiting.
"We are concerned that early progress appears heavily reliant on short-term funding. Latest data show gynaecology service demand continues to grow, and we know over two thirds of O&G doctors routinely working beyond contracted hours. The Government cannot keep asking our doctors to absorb ever-greater demand.
"Long-term investment in gynaecology workforce, training and facilities in 2026 and beyond is the only way to permanently resolve this challenge. We will be watching closely - and we will keep speaking up for the women still waiting and the professionals caring for them."
- Read more about our work to campaign to tackle long gynaecology waiting lists here: https://www.rcog.org.uk/about-us/campaigning-and-opinions/addressing-waiting-times-gynaecology/