In her 17th September statement to the Senedd, the First Minister – Eluned Morgan MS – committed the Welsh Government to “improving women’s health services”. In just one area – gynaecological cancer services the focus of our campaign – the scale of the challenge is significant. How do we know? The Senedd health committee informed us last year following their inquiry and published their “Unheard” report.
Clinics repurposed to meet the demands of the covid-19 pandemic have yet to return. In the meantime, waiting times across Wales – with the exception of Cardiff and Vale UHB – are unacceptably high.
We don’t know how many women have their gynaecological cancers diagnosed in A&E, earlier this year the Welsh Government declined to fund the research.
And, a culture of dismissing female cancer concerns remains embedded within primary care. We’ve yet to hear how that is going to be addressed.
That’s a taste of the scale of the challenge facing women with gynaecological cancers in Wales. Tenovus Cancer Care are working with us at Claire’s Campaign to ensure the voices of women are heard; and the policies and actions that are expected to deliver change are scrutinised. We look forward to working with Jeremy Miles MS, the new Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to make these much-needed improvements to women’s health services.
