Women 'paying price for Tory NHS failings' as gynaecology waiting lists get worse
Labour says women are "paying the price" of Tory NHS failings after gynaecology waiting times in the Midlands went up by almost a third in the past year.
Figures from the House of Commons Library showed there were more than 113,000 women on the gynaecology waiting list in the Midlands in September 2022, up from 86,832 the previous year – a 30 per cent increase.
And the number of women waiting more than a year more than doubled from 5,200 to 11,300 in September 2022, according to the figures.
The region also has the longest waiting times in England for non-obstetric ultrasound, with one in six waiting more than 13 weeks.
Anneliese Dodds, Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary, said: “The Conservatives’ seemingly permanent NHS crisis is unacceptable and frankly dangerous.
"Women are paying the price for 13 years of abject failure, often waiting in pain and anxiety. They can’t even get to see their GP, let alone see a hospital specialist for treatment.
"The idea that someone with suspected breast cancer can be left waiting for weeks on end for a consultation is heartbreaking. The fact that it is commonplace is disgraceful."
Labour has pledged to reform the NHS, including the biggest expansion of medical training in history, paid for by abolishing the non-dom tax status.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We are working tirelessly to ensure the NHS has the support needed to deal with the pressures from the pandemic and a difficult winter, and we urge people to continue to come forward for care when they need it. This is backed by up to £14.1 billion additional funding for health and social care over the next two years.
“The NHS has virtually eliminated waits of more than two years for treatment and has cut 18 month waits by over 50 per cent in a year.
“So far we have opened 92 community diagnostic centres, which have delivered over 2.9 million checks since July 2021 and will mean patients are diagnosed and treated more quickly.”
Nationally, one in four women are waiting longer than two weeks for urgent breast cancer referral, up from 13 per cent in 2021, while twice as many women are waiting more than a year for gynaecology treatment since 2021.
