The Government has announced that NHS England will be scrapped.
So what does this mean for endometriosis patients?
NHS England is the administrative body which manages how health services are run. It employs managers and officials, not doctors and nurses. At the moment the Government, through the Department of Health and Social Care provides NHS England with money and tells it what its priorities are for the health service. NHS England then manages services, sets standards and collects information. Once NHS England has been removed, the Department of Health and Social Care will be more directly responsible for making these decisions.
The most important thing to remember is that NHS England and the NHS are different. The NHS is not being scrapped, and care and treatment will continue to be free on the NHS.
The Government is also developing a new NHS 10 year plan which it will publish later this year.
We know that many with endometriosis face real difficulties when accessing health services. Far too many have their pain and symptoms dismissed and face unacceptably long diagnosis journeys. There are long waits to see gynaecologists, too few specialist staff and not enough treatment options. And for too long not enough has been spent on endometriosis research. So it is vital that the new 10-year plan tackles these many long-standing issues and Endometriosis UK will continue to campaign for endometriosis care to be prioritised.
