Gynaecology - Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

Gynaecology is the branch of medicine which deals with the health of the female reproductive system.

The Women’s Health Unit at Wythenshawe Hospital aims to provide the most up to date care in the complete range of gynaecological problems. Gynaecology is the branch of medicine which deals with the health of the female reproductive system.

Care is provided by a multi-disciplinary team of specialists who have expert knowledge in their particular field of interest. Research and development in the latest clinical care and treatment is also an important part of our work.

Our team provides an integrated service across Saint Mary’s and Wythenshawe hospitals. This enables us to offer our patients efficient and rapid access to the treatment of their choice in the most convenient location for them.

For example, we have been able to introduce an additional dedicated urgent gynaecological surgery list. Women initially treated at Wythenshawe can now choose to join the surgical list at Saint Mary’s and women treated at Saint Mary’s have the choice of going to Wythenshawe to have their pre-op appointment and surgery. This will ensure that surgery is not delayed or postponed, there is a less risk of any condition worsening and patients receive quicker and more convenient treatment.

Saint Mary’s is also a regional referral centre for gynaecological oncology, urogynaecology and reproductive medicine. We specialise in modern, minimally invasive techniques for surgery, enabling a shorter stay in hospital plus a quicker recovery and return to normal activities.

The Women’s Health Unit at Wythenshawe Hospital

Our self-contained unit opened in 2010 and offers purpose-built facilities for the care of female patients and contains:

A 26-bed ward for breast and gynaecological patients.
Two pre-op assessment areas – one for breast care and one for gynaecology.
A Gynaecological Assessment Unit.
An Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit [link to antenatal care section of obstetrics pages on Wythenshawe website]
A Women’s Health Suite which offers outpatient clinics such as the fast-access Post-Menopausal Bleed Clinic and minor procedures to investigate gynaecological conditions such as hysteroscopies, biopsies, colposcopies and hycosy ultrasound.

The Gynaecological Assessment Unit is for women with minor gynaecological conditions, abdominal pain or bleeding, who would otherwise normally be seen in A&E. The Post-Menopausal Bleed Clinic is a designated service for 2 Week Wait GP referrals.

In addition to the services delivered at the Women’s Health Unit, our patients also have access to other specialist services provided by Saint Mary’s Hospital. These include reproductive medicine, menopause, urogynaecology and recurrent miscarriage services and also the Emergency Gynaecology Unit. You can read more about all these services at https://mft.nhs.uk/saint-marys/services/gynaecology/.

Our Services

Colposcopy

Women with cervical problems or who have received an abnormal result from a routine smear test are directly referred to the colposcopy suite. This is run by specialist trained staff who provide five to six clinics per week which see around 2,500 people each year, of which around 900 are new patients. All urgent GP referrals are seen within two weeks. We also offer nurse-led follow up clinics.

Hysteroscopy

Our one-stop hysteroscopy service sees women for a range of different conditions including:

Post-menopausal bleeding
Heavy menstrual bleeding
Inter-menstrual bleeding
Post-coital bleeding
As part of fertility investigations
Lost or embedded coils
HNPCC screening (Hereditary non-polypoidol colonic carcinoma) screening
Screening for cancer.

Currently the service offers diagnostic investigations and a range of treatments, including:

Removal of endometrial polyps
Removal of septums
Removal of coils/insertions of coils

We are developing our service to include endometrial ablations and sterilisations via hysteroscopy.

Depending in the availability of appointments, you may be offered the choice of attending the colposcopy or hysteroscopy service at Wythenshawe or Saint Mary’s. Find out more at https://mft.nhs.uk/saint-marys/services/gynaecology/colposcopy/ and https://mft.nhs.uk/saint-marys/services/gynaecology/hysteroscopy/.

Urgent gynaecological surgery

Women who require urgent surgery can now choose to go on the surgical list at either Saint Mary’s or Wythenshawe, offering quicker and more convenient access to treatment.

Gynaecology Oncology – Cancer Services

While the majority of our patients who come to the Wythenshawe unit have minor gynaecological conditions, some may need more specialist treatment – including surgery. Saint Mary’s is the designated specialist gynaecological cancer centre for surgery within the South Sector of Greater Manchester. Find out more about this service at https://mft.nhs.uk/saint-marys/services/gynaecology/gynaecological-oncology/

Community Services

GPs may refer patients to community-based ‘Tier 2’ gynaecology services when they feel hospital-based assessment is not immediately necessary. The Tier 2 service may then refer patients on to a hospital consultant at Saint Mary’s or Wythenshawe if they feel this is appropriate.

Referrals

We accept referrals from GPs, midwives, other consultants and the Emergency Department.

Contact us

Gynaecology

Phone: 0161 291 5060

Colposcopy

Colposcopy appointments via waiting list – 0161 291 2907

Smear appointments and general enquiries – 0161 291 5446

Nurse Colposcopist – 0161 291 5446

Location

The Women’s Health Unit and Colposcopy Unit are located on Ward F16 on the link corridor between the Education and Research Centre and the main hospital building, in the Orange Zone. If you are arriving by car, you can park in the Maternity car park off Floats Road, at the rear of the site.