Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made an assessment of the level of awareness of endometriosis among doctors.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Women’s Health Strategy sets out our ambitions for all healthcare professionals to be well informed about women’s health, and supported to provide women with the best care possible.
Women’s health is a core competency for general practitioners (GPs) and is included in the Royal College of General Practitioners’ (RCGP) curriculum for trainee GPs. The RCGP has developed a ‘Women’s Health Library’, which brings together educational resources and guidelines on women’s health topics including on endometriosis.
The General Medical Council will introduce the Medical Licensing Assessment from the academic year 2024/2025. This includes women’s health topics such as endometriosis, encouraging a better understanding of endometriosis for doctors starting their careers.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of mental health support for people with endometriosis.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We are investing at least £2.3 billion of additional funding a year by March 2024 compared to 2018/19 to expand and transform mental health services in England so that two million more people including those with endometriosis can get the mental health support that they need.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline on endometriosis recognises that endometriosis can have a significant physical, sexual, psychological, and social impact and that people with endometriosis may have complex needs and require long-term support. NICE currently recommends assessment of the individual support needs of people with suspected of confirmed endometriosis, considering their circumstances, symptoms, priorities, desire for fertility, aspects of daily living, work and study, cultural background, and their physical, psychosexual and emotional needs.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department has taken to (a) improve (i) understanding and (ii) awareness of endometriosis in the NHS and (b) ensure that women with endometriosis are (A) diagnosed and (B) treated efficiently.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Women’s Health Strategy sets out our ambitions for all healthcare professionals to be well informed about women’s health and supported to provide women with the best care possible.
Women’s health is a core competency for general practitioners (GPs) and is included in the Royal College of General Practitioners’ (RCGP) curriculum for trainee GPs. The RCGP has developed a ‘Women’s Health Library’, which brings together educational resources and guidelines on women’s health topics.
The General Medical Council will introduce the Medical Licensing Assessment from the academic year 2024/2025. This includes women’s health topics such as endometriosis, encouraging a better understanding of endometriosis for doctors starting their careers.
We are improving access to diagnosis and treatment services for women with endometriosis. We are investing £25 million in women’s health hubs to improve women’s access to essential services for menstrual problems and more. We are also increasing activity through dedicated and protected surgical hubs that conduct planned procedures only. Surgical hubs are focusing on providing high-volume low-complexity surgery such as laparoscopies for suspected endometriosis.
NHS England is also updating the service specification for severe endometriosis, which defines the expected standards of care. The updated service specification is expected to be published before the end of March 2024.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of treatment provision for people with endometriosis.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
No specific assessment has been made. Menstrual health and gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis, is a priority in the Women’s Health Strategy. We are investing £25 million in women’s health hubs, so that women can get better access to care for menstrual problems, including women with suspected or diagnosed endometriosis.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is in the process of updating its recommendations on diagnosing endometriosis and surgical management of endometriosis if fertility is a priority. NICE will provide information on the expected publication date of its final guidance in due course.
Additionally, NHS England is updating the service specification for severe endometriosis, which defines the expected standards of care. This update will ensure that specialist endometriosis services have access to the most up-to-date evidence and advice and will improve standards of care for women with severe endometriosis.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to increase understanding amongst employers of endometriosis and its impact on people affected.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Women’s Health Strategy sets out ambitions that health conditions and disabilities are no longer a barrier to women’s participation in the workplace. It also sets out our ambitions for tackling taboos, including endometriosis, that can surround women’s health in the workplace, and for improving support for employers and colleagues.
As part of the Health and Wellbeing Fund 2022-25, the Department of Health and Social Care has awarded almost £2 million across 16 organisations to provide a holistic support offer to assist women with reproductive health issues, including menstrual health and gynaecological conditions, to remain in or return to the workplace. Additionally, the Equality Hub is working with employers to identify existing support on women’s reproductive health in the workplace and, in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Health and Social Care, is building peer networks to promote good practice.
The Government’s Women’s Health Ambassador is focused on raising the profile for women’s health and supporting implementation of the strategy, including breaking down the stigma surrounding particular areas of women’s health, including endometriosis.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the average time between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis for people with endometriosis.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Women’s Health Strategy sets out our ambition for improving care for women and girls with endometriosis, with a reduced diagnosis time for those with severe endometriosis. We are investing £25 million in women’s health hubs, so that women can get better access to care for menstrual problems, including for women with suspected or diagnosed endometriosis.
Through the NHS Delivery Plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care we are increasing activity through dedicated and protected surgical hubs that conduct planned procedures only. Surgical hubs are focusing on providing high-volume low-complexity surgery such as laparoscopies for suspected endometriosis.
Endometriosis can only be definitively diagnosed through a laparoscopy under general anaesthetic, and so for women with less severe endometriosis it may be more appropriate to treat symptoms of endometriosis with a presumed diagnosis rather than with a definitive diagnosis, avoiding the need for an invasive procedure.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a recent comparative assessment of the UK rate of (a) breast and cervical cancer screenings, (b) access to Hormone replacement therapy, (c) maternal mortality, (d) women's life expectancy, (e) women's confidence in healthcare provision and (f) time to diagnose (i) endometriosis and (ii) polycystic ovary syndrome compared with similar countries.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
No specific assessments have been made.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of when updated NICE guidelines for endometriosis will be published.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently updating its guideline on endometriosis, which will update its recommendations on diagnosing endometriosis and surgical management if fertility is a priority.
NICE expects to publish draft guidance on 31 October 2023. The recommendations will be subject to public consultation until 13 November 2023 with final guidance expected on 19 December 2023.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Elmet and Rothwell)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the number of people with endometriosis globally.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK recognizes the significant impact that endometriosis has on women's sexual and reproductive health and quality of life and that strong health systems, with a focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), are essential for tackling this disease. That's why the Women's Health Strategy for England made improving access to services, and prioritising services for women's conditions such as endometriosis, one of the 6 priorities for action.
Globally, the UK is proud to defend and promote universal and comprehensive SRHR. With our partners, we are working towards a world where women, girls and all other marginalised people have access to quality health services. We support health system strengthening through our funding to the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents, and in collaboration with key partners, including the World Health Organization and UNFPA.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on (a) the number of people with endometriosis and (b) the average waiting time for (i) diagnosis and (ii) medical treatment for endometriosis in each region of England in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The information requested is not held centrally. Gynaecology waiting lists in England, numbers of women waiting, and their waiting times are tracked and managed as part of the overall National Health Service focus on reducing the amount of time patients are waiting for elective care.
Patients with symptoms of endometriosis will be prioritised based on clinical need. The NHS led Provider Collaborative has identified endometriosis as a priority area and recently established a group to develop further initiatives to reduce waiting times for endometriosis patients.