PA MediaWhen the BBC reported that waiting lists for gynaecology appointments across the UK had more than doubled since February 2020, many women shared their experiences of how they feel forced to turn to private care.Women waiting in agony for vital gynaecological treatment are turning to the private sector in the hope of being referred urgently to the top of the NHS waiting list.The experiences of many who spoke to the BBC tie in with what we are hearing from people working in the sector.The heads of 11 leading women’s health organisations have signed an open letter urging the public and health professionals to participate in their “Change NHS” conversation.They said: “Women and girls have repeatedly been left to ‘fall through the gaps’ of fragmented government policy.”The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says the discussion around the government’s 10-year health plan is a chance to lobby for “much needed” funding and system-wide support essential to transforming women’s health.An NHS spokesperson said: “While latest data shows NHS staff are making progress to cut waiting lists and tackle the backlog, we know there is much more to do to bring down long waits for care, particularly for women who are waiting for crucial appointments and treatment.”We welcome feedback from the public and those working in women’s health services via Change NHS to build on our work on improving services for women – which includes developing a network of women’s health champions in every local care system and expanding neighbourhood women’s health hubs across the country – giving thousands more women access to specialist women’s health teams in the community.”Claire, 40: ‘I was told to suck on a Polo’Claire LynessForty-year-old mother Claire, had a hysterectomy – an operation where the womb is removed – 12 weeks ago.The mother-of-one needed the surgery to relieve her “debilitating” endometriosis and adenomyosis.The surgery cost Claire more than £10,000 with a private consultant – the same one she is on a three-year waiting list to see through the NHS.”This was the last option, it was desperation,” she says.Claire, a librarian, struggled to get anyone to take her pain seriously during her teenage years. It wasn’t until she was 22 that she received a diagnosis of severe endometriosis.The diagnosis gave Claire, who had always been told her pains were related to an irritable bowel, hope. She recalls her mum being told by a doctor: “I think it’s just IBS. Get her to suck on a Polo mint.”But the endometriosis diagnosis was just the beginning of a continuing battle for speedy NHS care.”These [gynaecology] appointments are a lifeline for us,” she says. “We are in so much pain but we know it’s okay because in a few months we’ll be seeing this consultant or doctor, and then when they cancel it is heart-breaking.”Out of every month I was getting one good week and around that it was about managing the pain and the emotional effects of that.”Now Claire, who also suffers with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a period-related condition causing extreme distress, must weigh up how much to rely on costly private care as she continues her treatment.”I know I’m in a privileged position to be able to have gone private,” she says.”The nurses were amazing, the aftercare was all followed up, they referred me to physio. But I need to continue with the NHS now because otherwise, where does the cost end?”Pippa, 50: ‘They opened me up and found a cyst the size of a brick’Pippa Cole”I am not the type of person to kick up a fuss,” says Pippa, a retired cafe owner.She had felt “excruciating pain” in her abdomen for months, but after three repeat visits to her GP she was …
