Today, Andy Burnham MP takes office as the UK's new Prime Minister. As the Cabinet takes shape, Endometriosis UK is calling on the new Prime Minster and his team to make menstrual health, and endometriosis care, a priority.
Latest figures from Endometriosis UK show that the average time to diagnosis in the UK has risen to 9 years and 4 months – climbing to a shocking average of 11 years for women and those assigned female at birth from ethnically diverse communities
Endometriosis affects around 1.5 million women and those assigned female at birth in the UK. Delayed diagnosis can mean a delay in accessing treatment, during which time the disease may progress, and the impact on every aspect of someone’s life can be profound Our new data also shows that 82.6% of people report being dismissed or told their symptoms are "normal," over half have attended A&E because of symptoms, and one third wait over a year to see a gynaecologist after referral.
We’re asking the new Prime Minster and his cabinet to ensure menstrual health and endometriosis is a priority by focusing on these three areas:
Fixing capacity and access by reducing gynaecology waiting times through targeted investment and workforce planning, prioritising endometriosis in service planning and funding, and improving data collection to better match capacity to demand.
Moving diagnosis closer to the community through expanding investigation through Community Diagnostic Centres and Women's Health Hubs, and ensuring these services are properly resourced and integrated with specialist pathways.
Ending dismissal and delay by mandating menstrual health and endometriosis training across medical education, fully implementing and strengthening NICE guidance including clearer referral pathways, and improving menstrual health education in schools and workplace protections.
Reducing diagnosis time to one year or less by 2030 is an achievable and necessary goal. Without decisive action, patients will continue to experience avoidable harm, and the NHS and wider economy will continue to bear unnecessary costs.
We would welcome the new Prime Minister's support, and are looking forward to continue our work with the Government and policy-makers to ensure that everyone living with endometriosis is supported to live well.
