Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 25
25
Deferred
Paragraph: 98
Prioritise longest elective surgery waiting lists and provide financial support for women's travel
Conclusion
Measures to reduce waiting lists for elective surgery should prioritise areas where waiting lists are longest and disparities greatest. The NHS should provide financial support to women to allow them to travel further to access care earlier.
Government Response Summary
The government's response did not address the recommendation to prioritise waiting list reduction or provide financial support for women to travel for earlier care. Instead, it focused on the training and curricula of medical professionals, noting that women's health is included in GMC, RCGP, and RCOG training standards.
Paragraph Reference:
98
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
It is important that healthcare professionals receive the necessary training to provide the best care possible for women with reproductive health conditions. GMC is the regulator of all medical doctors practising in the UK. GMC - rather than the Royal colleges - sets and enforces the standards that all doctors must adhere to, and is responsible for ensuring that medical professionals have the necessary skills and knowledge to join the UK medical register. GMC is independent of government, directly accountable to Parliament and is responsible for operational matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties. Individual medical schools set their own curricula, which must meet the standards and expected outcomes set by GMC . GMC has introduced the MLA for the majority of incoming doctors, including all medical students graduating from academic year 2024 to 2025 and onwards. Within this assessment are a number of topics relating to women’s health, including: fibroids endometriosis urinary incontinence This will encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems among all doctors as they start their careers in the UK. Obstetrics and gynaecology is already a mandatory rotation in undergraduate training. All medical graduates must undertake and complete an integrated 2-year programme of general training in order to practise as a doctor in the UK. The foundation programme consists of foundation year 1 and foundation year 2. The programme acts as a bridge between undergraduate medical training, and specialty and general practice training. This is set by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, and obstetrics and gynaecology is an optional specialty rotation. Curricula for specialty and general practice training is set by the relevant Royal college. Women’s health is also included in RCGP ’s curriculum for trainee GPs, including: gynaecology menopause sexual health breast health The curriculum also covers the healthcare needs of women across all diseases seen in primary care because it is important women are treated holistically. This ensures that all future GPs will receive training in women’s health. RCOG also published an updated undergraduate curriculum in 2021, which aligns professional capabilities expected of foundation year 2 doctors and takes a ‘life course approach’ to women’s health. The Quality and Outcomes Framework would not be an appropriate tool for implementing training incentives, as it is more suited to monitoring clinical parameters. In addition, the mandatory Commissioning for Quality and Innovation scheme has been paused and is therefore unavailable for incentivising training initiatives at this time.