Women in Wales are still being let down by the Welsh Government’s inaction on gynaecological cancer, as it fails to deliver on a number of recommendations submitted two years ago.
In December 2023, a landmark report by the Senedd’s Health and Social Care Committee - Unheard: Women’s journey through gynaecological cancer – uncovered critical failures in gynaecological cancer care, where women felt ignored and unheard by a system that was meant to care for them.
Despite accepting the majority of the Committee’s recommendations in 2023, progress on improving waiting times and outcomes remains slow and inadequate. During that time the Welsh Government has:
- not allocated specific ring-fenced funding for gynaecological cancer services, choosing instead to reallocate existing budgets.
- not published measurable NHS targets for improving gynaecological cancer outcomes, despite committing to do so.
- fallen far short on waiting times, which are among the worst of all cancer types, with only 41% of patients starting treatment within the 62 day target in October 2025.
Still unheard
In their evidence to the Committee, multiple cancer charities said that women felt further let down by the Welsh Government’s inaction on its commitments:
Tenovus Cancer Care and Claire’s Campaign said: “The Women’s Health Plan commits to women being ‘listened to,’ but gynaecological cancers are absent. Despite calls from Tenovus Cancer Care and the Unheard report, they weren’t included at all. That means no plan, no standards, and no way to measure whether women with these cancers are being heard.”
Target Ovarian Cancer said: “We recently spoke with some of the women who contributed to the inquiry, and they expressed their disappointment at the lack of progress made since the Unheard report was published. They shared that they felt they had not been fully listened to and their concern around the lack of ambitious targets.”
Peter Fox MS, the Chair of the Senedd’s Health and Social Care Committee, said:
“Behind every statistic are women and families whose lives depend on timely diagnosis and treatment. When the Committee published its report in December 2023, it was said that the evidence was some of the ‘most hard-hitting and emotional testimonies’ the then Chair had been involved with.
“Two years on, it is unacceptable that so little progress has been made. If gynaecological cancer is truly a priority, the Welsh Government must demonstrate that through visible action, dedicated funding, and clear accountability.”
The Committee is calling for urgent steps, including:
- allocation of targeted investment for gynaecological cancer services.
- clear and measurable targets for NHS Wales performance, and measures to hold Health Boards to account when targets are not met.
- greater visibility for gynaecological cancers within cancer improvement plans.
- mandatory quarterly reporting on waiting times and progress.
Read the 2023 report Unheard: Women's journey through gynaecological cancer
