What discussions is the Cabinet Secretary having with health boards regarding reducing waiting times for fibroid and endometriosis treatment?
Improving endometriosis and adenomyosis care is priority area two in the Women’s Health Plan – seven key actions have been identified to deliver improvement, which are a mixture of short, medium and long-term actions.
GPs are being trained to recognise the symptoms of endometriosis earlier, to help improve women's care and diagnosis. The new expert-led training programme is one of the women's health initiatives Health Education and Improvement Wales provides for GPs.
A Women’s Health Network, supported by the gynaecology clinical implementation network (CIN), has been established. The CIN is clinically led and together they have been tasked with overseeing and supporting the delivery of the actions. The gynaecology CIN will build consistent evidence-based care across Wales and ensure waiting times are reduced in gynaecology cancer and routine planned care.
I have been very clear with all health boards about the government’s commitment to ensure the NHS clears all long waits and builds a sustainable future service model. Through the gynaecology CIN, it has developed a national optimisation plan to improved sustainably throughout the pathway.
We have seen significant progress in reducing long gynaecology waits over two years. There has been a 72% improvement in the number of pathways waiting more than two years at the end of April 2025 (310) compared to April 2024.