It is crucial that we meet the mental health and wellbeing needs of young women and girls. Young women and girls are reporting increasing levels 私密處護理液 of ‘probable mental disorders’ and self-harm. Mental health was a common example used when respondents were asked to give an example of an area in which they felt that they had not been listened to by a healthcare professional. We are working across government to improve workplace support so that the menopause does not negatively impact women’s experiences at work and to better support employers.

Education and training for healthcare professionals is another important part of this programme. We will set out our plans for sexual and reproductive health later this year, including ensuring women can continue to access robust and high-quality abortion services. We recognise this is an important issue for anyone struggling to have children, and we are clear that patients’ access to NHS fertility treatment should only be based on clinical factors.

We also heard from organisations about barriers to securing a diagnosis such as symptoms being dismissed or confused with gynaecological conditions, irritable bowel syndrome , or mental ill health. In the call for evidence public survey, gynaecological cancers – such as “womb , ovarian, cervical, vulval, and vaginal cancers” – were the seventh most popular topic selected for inclusion in the strategy (30%). Women can access information and advice to help consume less alcohol via the ‘Better Health’ campaign which includes online tools such as the Drinks Tracker app and the ‘How Are You’ health quiz. The Start for Life website provides information for pregnant women, to support them in reducing the risks of alcohol-related harm. This will build upon the significant work to date to improve outcomes in mental health, including the work of the Women’s Mental Health Taskforce, Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, NHS Long Term Plan and COVID-19 mental health and wellbeing recovery action plan.

Women Patients

The key findings that would improve services included better geographical diversity, improved education of GPs and an increase in specialists in women’s health conditions. In order to successfully tackle the growing gynaecological elective backlog it is clear that a localised approach is needed to address the areas in which regional disparities are greatest, bringing the ‘postcode lottery’ for gynaecological care to an end. There is still much to be done in tackling the gender disparity in care across the UK, with the RCOG calling for an overhaul of the prioritisation of care to recognise the hidden suffering experienced with women’s health conditions. Elective recovery plans should address alarming growth of gynaecological waiting lists in comparison to other specialisms, including support for local solutions and the use of surgical hubs. Flexible solutions to increase both surgical and screening capacity, particularly in areas where access to healthcare facilities is more scarce, will not only assist in reducing waiting lists, but they will contribute to an overall better quality of life for women suffering. The Health and Wellbeing Fund is run jointly by the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England, and provides an opportunity to collaborate with voluntary, community and social enterprises who are often the experts on particular issues and communities.

Women reported feeling unsafe, having their concerns being ignored or dismissed, facing microaggressions that caused distress, and being denied pain relief due to racial stereotypes. One 2018 study, which analysed 4,146 images from textbooks used by top medical schools in the US, found that just 17 per cent of images were of black and brown people, while 75 per cent were of those with light skin tones. Dr Somi Javaid, a gynaecologist, surgeon and founder of HerMD who worked with Peanut on the gallery, said the illustrations could “change the course” of how patients are treated. The campaign hopes to highlight that there is no “normal” when it comes to how women’s bodies should look, and that traditional depictions of women’s anatomy as white, slim, hairless and able-bodied are not representative of most women.

Ensuring Research, Evidence And Data Support Improvements In Womens Health

This will include a focus on increasing access and choice for all women who want contraception, including LARC, and for improving women’s experiences, including during fitting and removal of an IUD or IUS. Contraception plays a vital role in supporting women and partners to fulfil their pregnancy intentions, including the prevention of pregnancy, timing of pregnancy and spacing of pregnancies. Contraception also has an important wider role in women’s lives – for example, managing symptoms of menstrual problems, gynaecological conditions and perimenopause. Through management of gynaecological conditions, contraception also supports women and girls to reach their full potential in education or the workplace.

The NHS is already using targeted case-finding to prioritise people at the highest risk of certain cancer types for surveillance and other testing, supporting earlier diagnosis. We introduced primary HPV testing in the cervical screening programme in England in 2019. Evidence shows that using HPV primary screening within the NHS Cervical Screening Programme offers a more sensitive and effective way to let individuals know whether they have any risk of developing cervical cancer than the previous method . If no high-risk HPV is detected (high-risk HPV is found in 99.7% of cervical cancers), an individual’s chances of developing a cancer within 5 years are very small. Herd protection among unvaccinated groups is also now emerging globally, including in the UK.

Over two thirds of women needing personal protective equipment at work reported not having female-shaped or sized PPE available. Female animals and women are commonly excluded from research, partly due to a reluctance to account for and investigate the variability that can be introduced by women’s hormonal cycles. And research that does include women commonly fails to check for differences between men and women. “Only when there is parity in leadership can the health system be responsive to the needs of women and their households,” Obudho said.

© Primary Care Women’s Health Forum CIC. PCWHF is a community interest company, we have a specific aim to carry out activities which benefit the community of all interested practitioners on women’s health issues. In reality, the scenario Sunak envisages is exactly what already happens in healthcare settings across the UK. “In my own sphere of practice, more than 99 per cent of people coming through the service are women, so we use the terms ‘woman’ and ‘mother’,” explains midwife Leah Hazard. “On the rare occasions where somebody has a different gender identity, we use the terminology that’s relevant for them. The ex-chancellor’s planned “manifesto for women’s rights” – which will also include promises on tackling male violence against women and “looking again at child care” – was the first public policy announcement of his leadership campaign. An ally explained that Sunak believes “we must be able to call a mother a mother and talk about breastfeeding, alongside trans-inclusive language where needed”.

Womens Health Across The Life Course

We want to understand more about women’s experiences of having conversations about their health and where changes can be made to ensure they are heard. We know that damaging taboos and stigmas remain around many areas of women’s health, which can prevent women from starting conversations about their health or seeking support for a health issue. Independent reports and inquiries – not least the First do no harm report and the Paterson Inquiry report – have found that it is often women who the healthcare system fails to keep safe and fails to listen to. This glossary contains a brief definition of key terms and acronyms referenced in the strategy, including medical conditions and treatments, which some readers may be less familiar with.