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 ensure implementation of NICE Guideline (73) Endometriosis: diagnosis and management; and if he will commission an analysis of the provision of and barriers to endometriosis care.

On 3 November 2022, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) confirmed that it will update sections in its guideline on diagnosing endometriosis, surgical management and surgical management, if fertility is a priority. We will work with NICE on its five-year strategy to ensure that guidelines can be implemented and are accessible to healthcare professionals and commissioners of local services. NICE’s guidelines describe best practice, which healthcare professionals are expected to take into account in the care and treatment of patients. However, these guidelines are not mandatory and do not override a clinician’s responsibility to make appropriate decisions for individual patients.

There are no current plans to commission a specific analysis. The call for evidence for the Women’s Health Strategy sought information on gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis. This information was considered in the development of the Strategy.