Background: Bartholin's abscesses/cysts affect 2% of women. Treatment options include conservative treatment, incision & drainage, marsupialisation, Bartholin's gland excision and insertion of a Word catheter (WC). The WC is an effective but relatively novel approach to outpatient management of vulval abscesses and cysts. The WC was introduced to NHS Lothian in May 2014 along with a departmental proforma and guideline. It was implemented across two hospitals- the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE) and St John's Hospital (SJH), Livingston. This article describes the results of an audit of women managed with a vulval abscesses/cysts following the introduction of the WC to NHS Lothian. We specifically evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of the WC, as well as the impact on surgically managed cases of vulval abscesses/cysts. Methods: We performed a retrospective audit of all identifiable cases of Bartholin's and vulval abscesses/cysts between June 2014 and June 2015. Cases were identified from completed proforma sheets, theatre coding and the gynaecology triage attendance diary. Following insertion of a WC, women were followed up by telephone within 23–25 days. The catheter is left in for a maximum of 4 weeks. The outcomes audited included appropriate use and completion of the proforma sheet, patient satisfaction, recurrence rates at 6months and need for theatre. We reviewed theatre cases separately and compared the numbers, average theatre waiting time and duration of hospitalisation before and after the introduction of the WC. Results: In RIE, fifty-six case notes were reviewed. 79% had WC insertion, 18% had marsupialisation and 3% were conservatively managed. One patient had surgical excision of the Bartholin's gland. The proforma was appropriately completed in 79% of cases. All women fitted with a WC were followed up within 23–25 days. Patient satisfaction rates were 84%. There were two cases of recurrences at 6 months. Before the introduction of the WC 43 women were managed surgically. Majority of these were done as emergencies. The average theatre waiting time was 5 days. In contrast, following the WC, only 11 cases were taken to theatre. This represented a 73% reduction in the number of theatre cases. At SJH, twenty-two case notes were reviewed. 32% had WC insertion, 32% had marsupialisation and 14% were conservatively managed. There were no recurrences at 6months It was difficult to access patient satisfaction at SJH as there was relatively poor proforma completion. However, following the introduction of the WC the number of theatre cases fell by an impressive 56%. Conclusion: The WC is a safe, effective and acceptable option in the management of vulval abscesses/cysts. It has the added benefit of reducing the pressure on theatre space and hospital inpatient beds.