Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of time-bound, measurable targets to reduce the time taken for diagnosis of (a) endometriosis and (b) adenomyosis.

It is unacceptable that women can wait so long for an endometriosis and adenomyosis diagnosis and we are committed to improving waiting times for diagnosis and treatment so patients can get the care they need sooner. We are committed to returning by March 2029 to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, including for gynaecology.

In England, the waiting list for gynaecology care stood at just over 560,000 as of March 2026 and gynaecology waits are down by over 35,000 since the 2024 General Election.

Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out reforms we are making to improve gynaecology waiting times across England. This includes innovative models of care that offer care closer to home and in the community, piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres for patients with post-menopausal bleeding, and increasing the relative funding available to incentivise providers to take on more gynaecology procedures.

We are also introducing an “online hospital”, NHS Online. From 2027, people on certain pathways, including menstrual problems that may be a sign of endometriosis or adenomyosis, will have the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home. NHS Online will help to reduce patient waiting times, delivering the equivalent of up to 8.5 million appointments and assessments in its first three years.

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy also commits to speeding up diagnosis and access to treatment for conditions including endometriosis. The strategy announces a new programme to improve education for girls about their menstrual health, investing an additional £1 million from this year to support targeted work in schools and community settings to support girls’ knowledge about menstrual health and when to seek healthcare. This is an important factor to delays in diagnosis and treatment for endometriosis and adenomyosis.

Clinical pathways for heavy periods and pelvic pain, including endometriosis, will be redesigned to reduce repeat appointments, unnecessary referrals and long waits. Women with endometriosis will benefit from single points of access for gynaecology referrals and a shift away from hospital only care towards neighbourhood and community settings.