More than 170 men waited longer than a year for vasectomies in Derbyshire - with the service temporarily paused
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A vasectomy is a surgical procedure and form of male contraception in which the tubes carrying sperm are cut and sealed. Patients typically get a vasectomy as a form of long-term or permanent male birth control, though it can be reversed, often referred to as “the snip”.
In Derbyshire there are 1,216 people waiting for vasectomies and of these 173 have been waiting more than a year – with 33 having waited more than 15 months.
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Hide AdDerbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust details in its board reports: “As the service is currently paused due to the unavailability of surgical capacity, this waiting position is worsening and is the main driver of the trust’s overall worsening position on 52+ week waits.
“All recruitment and training options are being explored, but there is no certainty around securing capacity in the short term.
“The service is looking at liaising with GPs by sharing patients, and by creating a pooled waiting list to ensure equitable access.
“The longest waiters on the DCHS waiting list are being contacted to explain their current options.”
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Hide AdA trust spokesperson said: “We are taking all possible action to reduce the waits for vasectomies.
“We are in the process of recruiting a clinician to our sexual health service with a specific remit for vasectomy.
“It has been a longer recruitment process than we’d anticipated with having to go back out to advert when an appointee was unable to take up the role at the first time of advertising.
“We are working closely with all other five vasectomy providers in Derby and Derbyshire to help reduce the overall waiting list and to reduce the time people are waiting for vasectomies. In the past year this collective effort has enabled us to perform 1,010 vasectomies in Derby and Derbyshire, and the maximum waiting times for the procedure – while still much too high – are reducing.
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Hide Ad“We are also working with our commissioners to help address the growing demand for this service. We are receiving double the number of referrals per month than anticipated in our contract and which we’d have the capacity to handle swiftly once our new clinician is in post. “These collective steps are a priority for us to reduce vasectomy waits and to improve response times for patients awaiting this procedure.”
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