Women’s Healthcare 2024-04-23
2024-04-23
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
The House of Commons Library reported that one in four women with suspected breast cancer wait more than two weeks to see a specialist, and gynaecological treatment waiting lists have risen by 40,000 over the past year, reaching almost 600,000.
House of Commons Library figures reveal that one in four women with suspected breast cancer are waiting more than two weeks to see a specialist. The waiting list for gynaecological treatments has risen by 40,000 in a year, which means that there are now almost 600,000 women waiting, which is up by a third over two years. Labour has pledged to tackle that backlog, so that more women are seen faster. How much pain, misery or worse do women have to endure before this Government start prioritising their health?
As the hon. Lady will know—she saw the statistics published very recently—we are in fact treating more people at earlier stages of their cancer. I want to take on her point about gynaecological waits, because that is important. We are spending more than £8 billion in this spending review period on additional elective activity, and investing in additional capacity, including community diagnostic centres and surgical hubs, many of which provide gynaecological tests and procedures. She may have missed it, but the latest published management information for March shows that the longest waits for gynaecology services have reduced by nearly 95% since their peak in September 2021. Of course there is more to do, but we are making progress.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific ask about how much longer women will suffer was not directly addressed.
Of Course There Is More To Do, But We Are Making Progress
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
▸
Context
The House of Commons Library reported that one in four women with suspected breast cancer wait more than two weeks to see a specialist, and gynaecological treatment waiting lists have risen by 40,000 over the past year, reaching almost 600,000.
House of Commons Library figures reveal that one in four women with suspected breast cancer are waiting more than two weeks to see a specialist. The waiting list for gynaecological treatments has risen by 40,000 in a year, which means that there are now almost 600,000 women waiting, which is up by a third over two years. Labour has pledged to tackle that backlog, so that more women are seen faster. How much pain, misery or worse do women have to endure before this Government start prioritising their health?
As the hon. Lady will know—she saw the statistics published very recently—we are in fact treating more people at earlier stages of their cancer. I want to take on her point about gynaecological waits, because that is important. We are spending more than £8 billion in this spending review period on additional elective activity, and investing in additional capacity, including community diagnostic centres and surgical hubs, many of which provide gynaecological tests and procedures. She may have missed it, but the latest published management information for March shows that the longest waits for gynaecology services have reduced by nearly 95% since their peak in September 2021. Of course there is more to do, but we are making progress.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific ask about how much longer women will suffer was not directly addressed.
Of Course There Is More To Do, But We Are Making Progress
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
Today's figures show that more than 600,000 women in England are waiting for gynaecological treatment and under two thirds of eligible women have been screened for breast cancer over the past three years.
Today, we have seen alarming figures pointing to the systematic de-prioritisation of women's health, with 600,000 women in England waiting for gynaecological treatment, 33,000 women waiting more than a year, and under two thirds of eligible women screened for breast cancer in the last three years. Will the Secretary of State come clean and admit that under this Government, women's health has become an afterthought?
That is absolute nonsense. As I say, I have prioritised women's health. I am pretty sure that I invited the hon. Lady to the women's health summit earlier this year.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific ask about admitting systematic de-prioritisation was not addressed.
That Is Absolute Nonsense
As I Say, I Have Prioritised Women'S Health
Response accuracy