Specialist endometriosis centres in Wales are at imminent risk of losing their accreditation, forcing healthcare leaders to warn that the current system is unsustainable. The alert follows revelations that patients are being anaesthetised for complex procedures only to discover that necessary surgical teams are unavailable due to resource constraints.
Kelly O’Shea, a 32-year-old from Wales who has suffered daily chronic pain for three and a half years, revealed she woke from more than one operation to learn the procedure had not been performed. Frustrated by the lack of adequate NHS resources, she eventually paid £20,000 out of pocket for the endometriosis treatment she required.
O’Shea underwent nine operations linked to her condition, which involves tissue similar to the womb lining growing on other organs such as the bowel and bladder. She recounted a recent incident where a bowel surgeon was unavailable 45 minutes into her surgery, leaving her endometriosis untouched. On another occasion, the procedure was truncated because the theatre was reallocated for an urgent case.
“I was promised we’d have the whole team there and they’d get me out of pain,” O’Shea said. “But it’s always the same excuse – they weren’t available, or they ran out of surgery time. You just think ‘why are you putting me through an operation if you haven’t got the surgery time?'”
The warnings come as the British Society for Gynaecological Endoscopy (BSGE) introduces stricter national accreditation standards. These requirements mandate that accredited centres must have dedicated multidisciplinary teams, including gynaecologists, specialist nurses, colorectal surgeons, urologists, and radiologists, who allocate specific time for endometriosis care.
Lutfi Shamsuddin, a surgeon at the Cardiff and Vale health board’s specialist centre, explained that limited theatre time prevents individual surgeons from meeting the minimum operational thresholds required for accreditation. He noted that his centre currently relies on the “goodwill” of specialists rather than having these roles formally embedded in service plans.
Cardiff and Vale health board added its specialist endometriosis centre to its risk register earlier this year, citing the potential for closure if accreditation criteria are not met. Gynaecologists at a recent cross-party Senedd group meeting argued that Wales needs either a nationally commissioned service or a fundamental overhaul of its funding model to reflect the true costs of specialist care.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has echoed these calls, urging the Welsh government to commit to sustainable resourcing, including adequate workforce numbers and facilities across the country.
Delyth Jewell, the deputy minister for women’s health, acknowledged the severity of the situation. “Everyone agrees the current set up is not sustainable,” she said. “We can’t be leaving this to the goodwill of individual health boards. I’m keen for us to be looking regionally or nationally, to make sure there is a sustainable service.”
A petition regarding the future of the Cardiff and Vale service has garnered over 11,000 signatures. While the Welsh government recognised the concerns, a spokesperson noted that responsibility currently lies with individual health boards, though discussions regarding a pan-Wales approach are ongoing.
For patients like O’Shea, the bureaucratic delays have severe personal consequences. After being told a transfer to Bristol was considered, she was redirected to another Welsh centre with a wait of up to two years. “I’ve put so much on hold, I just want my life back,” she said.
Ten thousand signatures and still waiting? Wales needs a national service now, not more committee discussions while women suffer daily.
This is absolutely terrifying. Anaesthetised and then told nothing was done? How is this even allowed to happen to vulnerable patients.