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Jess Brown-Fuller MP visits St Richard’s gynaecology department
- ethanstorey3
- Sep 4
- 2 min read
Jess Brown-Fuller, Member of Parliament for Chichester, visited St Richard’s Hospital to discuss how gynaecology services can be improved in Chichester and across the country.
During the visit Jess toured the gynaecology department and met senior hospital leaders to understand the pressures clinicians are facing on waiting times, diagnostics and staffing.
Waiting lists for gynaecology are at critical levels nationally, with hundreds of thousands of women awaiting vital treatment. In England the gynaecology waiting list still stands at 582,744 this year.
Speaking after the visit, Jess said:
“Women in Chichester and across the country deserve better. If the government is serious about shifting more care out of hospitals and into communities, we need to expand access to gynaecology appointments and diagnostics. That means increasing capacity now, not in a few years’ time.”
Demand for diagnostics is especially high for ultrasound scans. Unlike several European countries, ultrasound is almost entirely absent from GP surgeries in the UK, with machines available in fewer than 5 percent of practices. This creates bottlenecks in diagnosis and treatment, forcing patients to wait longer for essential examinations.
In West Sussex, GPs can refer patients to community ultrasound services for gynaecological issues. This helps ease pressure on hospitals and means many patients are seen within weeks rather than months. While this is a positive step for women’s healthcare, capacity remains limited.
Jess added:
“Our local teams are doing an outstanding job under real pressure. With targeted investment we can go further and faster. Expanding ultrasound in primary care and recruiting more specialist staff would cut waiting times, speed up diagnosis and give women the timely care they deserve.”
The visit underlined the need for increased investment in gynaecological services, including expanding ultrasound provision in primary care and boosting the specialist workforce.
