Share your experiences | Waiting for hospital gynaecology services

Since we published our Left for too Long report in 2022, the RCOG has been consistently calling for more action from Government and the NHS to improve the long waits for hospital gynaecology services.

Two years on, we want to hear again from women and people who are currently on, or who have recently been on, a waiting list for a gynaecology service. This could mean you are waiting for your first appointment following a referral from a GP, waiting for tests, or waiting for treatment or surgery.

This survey will help us to understand and illustrate the impact of waiting for care on you, so we can continue to campaign to reduce the length of waiting lists in gynaecology services. It will also help us to develop solutions to support the NHS to deliver high-quality, timely gynaecology services. We will use the responses and findings from this survey to produce a further report later this year. No identifiable characteristics will be published.

This survey is for women and people who are waiting for care for a suspected or diagnosed gynaecological condition that isn’t cancer. The NHS has a very different approach to managing waiting times for cancer care, and we want to explore the experiences and outcomes of women who are on a waiting list for what is often called ‘elective’ or ‘non-urgent’ gynaecology services. 

This survey should take approximately five minutes to complete. The deadline for responses is Friday 17 May 2024.

About you

Please answer the question below
1. Which part of the UK do you live in? Select one:
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3. Which of the following age groups are you in?
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4. Do you consider yourself to be disabled?
5. Which of the following symptoms have you been referred to gynaecology services for? Please select all that apply.
5a. Do you have a gynaecological diagnosis for the symptom(s) you are experiencing? Please select from the below.
Please answer the question below
6. Which of the below best describes your current situation?
6a. Can you tell us what you are currently waiting for?

Section one: Understanding the impact of waiting for gynaecology services

The impact on you

We would like to understand the impact of being on a gynaecology waiting list on you.  

In order to campaign to reduce the length of waiting lists in gynaecology services, it is really important that we are able to illustrate the true impact on those who are waiting, and on the wider health system.

These questions apply to whatever part of secondary care services you are waiting for (for example, whether you are waiting for a first appointment with a gynaecologist following a referral from a GP, or whether you are waiting for tests, for a procedure or for surgery).          

If you are not currently on a hospital gynaecology waiting list, but you have been recently, please answer these questions based on your experiences whilst you were waiting for care.

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7. Have the physical symptoms associated with your gynaecological condition changed whilst being on a waiting list? (e.g. pain, fatigue, incontinence or heavy menstrual bleeding)
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8. Has your mental health been impacted whilst you have been on a waiting list?
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9. Has your ability to take part in social activities changed whilst being on a waiting list?
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10. Has your relationship or sex life been impacted whilst you have been on a waiting list?

The impact on other parts of the NHS

We want to understand more about how women and people on gynaecology waiting lists are using other parts of the NHS whilst they wait.

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12. Whilst you have been on a waiting list for gynaecology services, have you attended A&E or an emergency unit as a result of your gynaecological symptoms?
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12a. Have you required an emergency surgery?
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13. Whilst on a waiting list, have you needed to go back to your GP in relation to your gynaecological health or symptoms?
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13a. How many times have you needed to go back to your GP practice in relation to your gynaecological health or symptoms?
13b. Why have you needed to go back to your GP practice? (Please tick all that apply)
14. Before referring you to a hospital gynaecology service, did your GP or primary care clinician do any of the following? (Please tick all that apply)

Section two: Care and support on the waiting list

As part of this work, the RCOG will be looking at ways in which the NHS and the Government can reduce the length of waiting lists in gynaecology and improve experiences of care.

We recognise that action to reduce the length of waiting times will take a while to have an impact. It is therefore important to consider what you feel is important whilst you’re on a waiting list for gynaecology services.

Communication

Please answer the question below
15. How would you rate the communication from the hospital gynaecology service whilst you have been on a waiting list?

Support for managing symptoms

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17. How far do you agree with the following statement: ‘I feel confident I can manage my gynaecological symptoms whilst on the waiting list’
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18. Whilst on the waiting list, have you been offered any support from the hospital gynaecology service to manage your symptoms?
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18a. What support have you been offered? (Please tick all that apply)

Follow up appointments

Currently the NHS is looking to move away from traditional outpatient appointments where people are offered a review to follow up their treatment, or attend regular reviews.  Instead, it is developing a system where people can decide whether they require a follow-up (also called patient initiated follow-up), and book this directly with the hospital or other provider.

Please answer the question below
19. Would you be comfortable with your follow-up care taking this approach?

Thank you very much for your input. Please press 'submit' to send your responses.

Thank you


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