The number of women waiting for gynaecology treatments in the North East and Yorkshire is up 36% in just a year.
That's according to the latest NHS figures, and opposition politicians have called for urgent action to improve the situation. According to the data, in December, there were 78,188 people waiting for gynaecology services. That's up by more than 20,000 - from 57,313 - compared to a year earlier.
3,680 of those people had been waiting for more than a year for treatment.
At the five North East NHS trusts - Gateshead Health, South Tyneside and Sunderland, Northumbria Healthcare, Newcastle Hospitals and County Durham and Darlington - there are a total of 17,201 people waiting for NHS gynaecology services. That's up from 13,098 a year ago. Almost 300 people have been waiting more than a year.
National data also shows how more than one in four women (26%) were waiting longer than two weeks for urgent breast cancer referrals. This has doubled since 2021 and up from just 5% in 2010. The Labour Party has also raised concerns that 266,000 people across the North East and Yorkshire are waiting more than a month to see a GP - also up substantially compared to 2021.
The Labour Party has said it would, if in power, double the number of medical school places for would-be doctors, create 10,000 extra placements for nursing and midwifery students and boost numbers of district nurses and health visitors.
The long waiting lists echo similar long delays hitting others waiting for NHS services - with figures showing how at the start of December there were 7.2m people waiting to begin NHS treatment. That's slightly down on the record, which saw 7.21m people waiting at the beginning of October.
Anneliese Dodds, Labour's Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary, said: "The Conservatives’ seemingly permanent NHS crisis is unacceptable and frankly dangerous. Women are paying the price for 13 years of abject failure, often waiting in pain and anxiety. They can’t even get to see their GP, let alone see a hospital specialist for treatment.
"The idea that someone with suspected breast cancer can be left waiting for weeks on end for a consultation is heart-breaking. The fact that it is commonplace is disgraceful. Labour will reform the NHS and train thousands more doctors, nurses and midwives each year, so patients can be treated on time again, paid for by abolishing the non-dom tax exemption."
An NHS spokesperson said: "NHS staff are working flat out to bring down Covid backlogs, prioritising those at greatest clinical need, while contending with record levels of pressure. The latest data show the waiting list went down for the first time since the start of the pandemic so it’s vital women continue to come forward for care when they need it."
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care disputed criticism of access to GPs. They said: "We do not recognise many of these claims. There were over 90,000 more GP appointments every day in 2022 compared to 2021."
The spokesperson added: "The 62-day cancer backlog has fallen 20% since peaking in 2020 and the latest figures show a higher percentage of people were seen earlier in December compared to November - but we acknowledge there is more to do.
"There are record numbers of GPs in training and we are investing at least £1.5 billion to create 50 million more appointments a year by 2024. We have also put women’s health at the top of the agenda as part of the first-ever government-led women’s health strategy for England."
The Government said it was "working tirelessly" to help the NHS deal with the pressures from the pandemic and "a difficult winter" - it said this was backed up by £14.1bn in additional funding over the next two years. The Department of Health also said it has reduced backlogs in people with suspected cancer being seen - though "we know there is more to do".
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