I'm On Six Different Nhs Waiting Lists - It's Taking Over My Life

Amy-Jane Davies is connected six NHS waiting lists, and says perpetually chasing for updates is taking complete her life.

She's waited 21 months for gynaecological surgery, which she said will apt consequence successful her being referred for a much master cognition - meaning different waiting list.

She said her information had affected her life successful ways she "didn't imagine", from reducing her hours astatine activity to deciding not to go a mother.

With nan Senedd predetermination successful Wales connected 7 May, NHS waiting times are 1 of nan challenges facing nan adjacent Welsh government.

Amy-Jane, 30, from southbound Wales, was first diagnosed pinch endometriosis successful 2018, a information wherever cells akin to those successful nan lining of nan womb turn successful different parts of nan body.

Her symptoms scope from abdominal cramping and terrible bloating to migraines, fatigue, arsenic good arsenic bladder and bowel problems.

"During Covid, nan gynaecology waiting lists grew to 8 to 10 years and astatine that constituent I knew location was conscionable nary measurement I could hold that agelong to get thing done," she said.

In 2021, Amy-Jane paid £4,000 for backstage room pinch thief from her mum and nan.

The process removed nan endometriosis from her uterus, womb and bladder but besides discovered grounds of nan information connected her bowel, which needed nan engagement of further master surgeons.

Amy-Jane's ain wellness committee told her she would request to beryllium referred to 1 of nan 2 accredited endometriosis surgical centres successful Wales for that surgery, but that she required a laparoscopy before nan referral would beryllium accepted.

She has now been waiting 21 months for that procedure, but has besides been referred to spot specialists for her bowel, bladder and migraines, arsenic good arsenic an ultrasound and MRI.

"You're perpetually chasing them," she said. "It's taking complete a bit, if I'm honest, and it's really nary bully for my intelligence health."

Independent information analysing nan usage of backstage healthcare providers successful Wales shows location has been a emergence successful caller years, pinch a larger proportionality self-funding curen compared to those pinch wellness insurance.

Amy-Jane said she had fixed a batch of thought to whether she would spell backstage again, but said she felt hopeful that she was now adjacent nan apical of nan waiting database successful her ain wellness board.

"It is really unrealistic for maine to spell privately," she said.

"I've spoken to my gynaecologist astir this and because my adjacent room needs an endometriosis master but besides a colorectal (surgeon) and a gynaecologist astatine nan aforesaid clip I was quoted that it would beryllium nary little than £15,000.

"I've already had to trim my hours astatine activity because of my symptoms. I'm a azygous homeowner, there's nary measurement I could spend thing astatine that price.

"It conscionable feels really sadistic that I could beryllium putting myself into debt, erstwhile successful a twelvemonth aliases 2 each my symptoms could conscionable travel consecutive back.

"Because endometriosis has nary cure - it is simply a information that is not life-threatening but is aggressively life-altering."

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has produced a dashboard analysing waiting times crossed nan 4 UK nations.

When looking astatine nan waits per caput of population, gynaecology is connected a par pinch trauma and orthopaedics arsenic nan 2 specialties pinch nan longest waiting lists successful Wales.

Compared to nan remainder of nan UK, Wales has proportionately 1 of nan highest rates waiting for gynaecology treatment, 2nd only to Northern Ireland.

The numbers successful Wales peaked successful August 2025, erstwhile location were 56,069 waiting for gynaecological treatment. The numbers fell to 46,289 successful January, but person been astatine those levels for 5 years - still acold higher than pre-Covid figures.

Why are gynaecological attraction waits truthful long?

Alison Wright, president of nan Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said burnout among nan workforce was surely a factor, but entree to theatre clip was besides an issue.

"We are still connected a regular basis, unfortunately, having to person battles to person gynaecological theatres crossed nan UK.

"We would really for illustration to spot women's wellness prioritised. That intends not only to make pathways clearer, but besides to make judge that we person equitable theatre abstraction and gynaecological capacity."

She said patients often ended up successful A&E arsenic a consequence.

"For women it affects their work, their lives - looking aft children aliases dependents and it intends that their information perchance gets worse.

"They whitethorn person humor transfusions aliases different treatments while they're waiting. So their conditions are not opinionated still while they're waiting and this is thing that really, really concerns me."

She said nan motorboat of nan NHS Wales women's wellness scheme successful 2024 was to beryllium welcomed, but "proper investment" and "tangible plans that tin beryllium tracked" were now required.

The Welsh authorities said it was incapable to remark connected nan rumor up of nan Senedd election, nevertheless it antecedently said that waiting lists successful Wales had fallen for 8 consecutive months.

What are nan governmental parties saying?

The Green Party described waiting times arsenic "appalling" and said it would "deliver a coherent package" of reforms.

"We will make further investments successful superior care, making it easier for group to spot a GP aliases different wellness worker truthful their beingness and intelligence wellness issues tin beryllium addressed earlier earlier they create into situation requiring infirmary care."

The Welsh Liberal Democrats said patients successful Wales were "left waiting acold excessively agelong for treatment".

"We would trim waiting lists by boosting nan wellness workforce and expanding diagnostic capacity, but besides by fixing nan societal attraction crisis, investing successful thousands of caller attraction placements to extremity corridor attraction and free up infirmary beds."

Reform Wales said waiting lists "remain acold longer than successful England for excessively galore patients".

"Only Reform UK has a scheme to carnivore down connected nan bloated bureaucracy of nan Welsh NHS to decently money superior attraction and instrumentality a workforce scheme that makes usage of our talented nurses and paramedics present successful Wales arsenic opposed to telling them they person to activity activity abroad."

Plaid Cymru said group connected waiting lists were "living successful pain, discomfort and anxiety".

"Plaid Cymru's NHS waiting lists scheme - designed pinch wellness experts - will trim waiting times and get group treated quicker, and trim unit connected our NHS. We'll create 10 surgical hubs crossed Wales, specialising successful treatments pinch nan highest waits."

A Welsh Conservative spokesperson said patients successful Wales were "still waiting excessively agelong for treatment".

"The Welsh Conservatives will state a wellness emergency, summation furniture capacity, present a workforce scheme to enlistee and clasp staff, and fortify superior attraction to amended entree to GPs, trim unit connected hospitals and guarantee patients tin entree timely care."

Welsh Labour are yet to reply, but their manifesto has promised surgical and diagnostic hubs, arsenic good arsenic money for caller hospitals and repairs.