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 help reduce gynaecology waiting lists in (a) Manchester Rusholme constituency and (b) Manchester.

The Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust is the largest National Health Service trust serving both the Manchester Rusholme constituency and Manchester. At the end of January 2025, the waiting list for gynaecology services at the Manchester University Trust stood at 19,952, and in 42.7% of cases, the patient had been waiting up to 18 weeks. The median waiting time for gynaecology services at the Manchester University Trust was 21.8 weeks at the end of January 2025.

As set out in the Plan for Change, we have committed to return to the NHS constitutional standard that 92% of patients, including those waiting for gynaecological care, wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029. We provided additional investment in the Autumn Budget that has enabled us to deliver an additional two million appointments as a first step to achieving this, seven months ahead of schedule.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the reform we will undertake to return to the 18-week standard, and ensure patients have the best possible experience while they wait. This includes commitments to offer patients care closer to home, in the community, including piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres for patients with unscheduled bleeding on hormone replacement therapy. We have also committed to increasing the relative funding available to support gynaecology procedures with the largest waiting lists and reviewing support options from the independent sector.

The Manchester University Foundation Trust is part of the Further Faster 20 initiative, which sees expert clinicians and managers deployed into NHS trusts in areas with the highest levels of economic inactivity to get patients treated faster. Greater Manchester is also served by four surgical hubs and seven community diagnostic centres.