Men in Derbyshire unable to 'get the snip' for nearly a year after referrals paused
Almost 1000 men were on the waiting list at the start of the year
Last updated 15th May 2026
Men in Derbyshire have been unable to get a vasectomy on the NHS or even join a waiting list for nearly a year, with all new referrals paused after demand outstripped capacity.
For men, getting a vasectomy – often known as ‘the snip’ – is the only option when it comes to long-lasting contraception, with health officials calling it effectively permanent in all but a number of rare incidents.
However, NHS services in Derbyshire have not been accepting new referrals for men wanting vasectomies since last June, the Local Democracy Reporting Service can disclose.
The Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) commissions the Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust to carry out 1,010 vasectomies a year, with 504 carried out via the trust directly and the remaining 506 subcontracted to other providers, some in Staffordshire, and a number of GP practices.
However, last June, DCHS officials chose to pause all new referrals after their backlog reached 1,196 patients – more than a year’s worth.
The ICB says it has now approved funding to relaunch the service “soon” after previously saying operations would relaunch for new referrals from April, with the service still paused for all new Derbyshire patients.
A more specific date was not be given.
It has said the service was paused from October and last autumn, but DCHS has stressed it made the decision in June and told the ICB in July.
DCHS says its current backlog still stands at 261 patients from the original intake paused last June (three months’ worth of cases), who have now waited almost a year, with countless men unable to be added to the waitlist in the past 12 months, creating an unknown overall backlog.
Patients sharing their experiences anonymously online claim to have waited in excess of a year for the 20-minute, low-risk surgery and to have been quoted between £500 and £3,000 for a vasectomy via a private provider.
Arthur Medical Centre in Horsley Woodhouse had posted in December that the ICB had “run out of funding for vasectomies” and was unable to process any new referrals in the meantime, while a “long-term solution” was in the works.
Meanwhile, Newhall Surgery posted that the “pause” was “creating frustration for patients who have made the decision to pursue permanent contraception”, noting “we fully recognise that this position is not ideal for local people and appreciate the additional pressure this places on GP practices supporting these patients”.
It apologised and said demand had outstripped DCHS’ capacity for “safe delivery” of services under the current contract to March 2028.
A DCHS spokesperson said: “We continue to provide a vasectomy service as commissioned by the ICB and are actively working through our existing waiting list.
“We have not stopped the service, however we did pause new referrals in summer last year, as was previously communicated.
“At that time, we were receiving far more referrals than our service was contracted to deliver.
“In agreement with our commissioners, we therefore introduced a temporary pause on new referrals so we could prioritise reducing the waiting times for patients already on the list.
“That work remains ongoing. We are also working closely with our commissioners to identify sustainable solutions, including potential additional investment, to help meet the increasing demand for this service going forward.
DCHS says it directly provides clinics in Chesterfield and subcontracts services in Alfreton, Burton on Trent, Derby, the High Peak and Uttoxeter.
It says: “This model is designed to improve patient access, provide resilience and allow activity to be flexed across providers to manage waiting times and maintain equitable access.”
The ICB says there is an annual capacity for 1,010 procedures in Derbyshire, with half commissioned to DCHS and the remaining half carried out by other providers and specialist GPs.
It said the waiting list as of January this year was still at 972 patients and forecast future demand is around 10 per cent higher than the current commissioned level – despite the pause from DCHS.
A statement released by the ICB in April, which has now been updated after inquiries from the LDRS, had said executive commissioners were signing off on new funding to clear the waiting list, reopen access for new patients and increase the number of contracted procedures by “around 100” extra a year.
It said a decision was to be made on May 11, which has now passed. Following an update to the statement, the ICB changed the start date for new referrals and the expanded capacity from “straight away” to “soon”.
The ICB said the decision to pause was made because the service had reached capacity for the 2025/26 financial year
It says: “Delivery implementation will begin soon, subject to final contractual agreements being confirmed.
“Overall, these changes will help improve access to the service and reduce waiting times for patients in Derbyshire.”