Streeting relaunches women’s health strategy to tackle ‘medical misogyny’
TL;DR
Wes Streeting is relaunching England's women's health strategy to combat 'medical misogyny' and improve healthcare access. The new measures aim to ensure better pain relief during procedures and reduce diagnosis wait times for conditions like endometriosis.
Key points
- Wes Streeting relaunches women's health strategy for England
- New measures to improve access to healthcare for women
- Standard of care includes pain relief for invasive procedures
- Feedback linked to provider funding for better service
- Action to reduce diagnosis wait times for endometriosis
Wes Streeting has vowed to stop women being “gaslit” by doctors as he relaunches the women’s health strategy for England.
Speaking before the publication of the renewed strategy on Wednesday, Streeting said the NHS was “failing women” and set out measures to help them access the healthcare they need.
The government said the strategy would include a new standard of care to ensure women were offered pain relief for invasive procedures, such as fitting a contraceptive coil and hysteroscopies.
Feedback would be directly linked to provider funding via a new trial, giving women the power to withhold payment for paid-for health services if they have a poor experience.
Action would also be taken to ensure women no longer face long waits for diagnoses for conditions such as endometriosis, which can take a decade to diagnose.
A report last month by the women and equalities committee found that gynaecological and menstrual health had not been “sufficiently prioritised” by the government.
MPs said parts of the 10-year women’s health strategy, launched in 2022 by the Conservatives, were at risk of being scaled back or discontinued under wider changes to the NHS. These included initiatives that had reduced waiting lists and improved women’s access to healthcare, such as women’s health hubs.
Sarah Owen, the chair of the committee and a Labour MP, said: “This would be a disaster for girls’ and women’s menstrual healthcare, when it is in dire need of more support.
“It is a national scandal that nearly half a million women are on hospital gynaecology waiting lists when there are effective treatments that could be administered in primary and community care, if only they could access them.”
The report said women faced “medical misogyny” and were left to “suck it up” and suffer in pain for years because of a lack of awareness of women’s health conditions.
Streeting said: “[Women] have for so long been let down by a healthcare system that too often gaslights women, treating their pain as an inconvenience and their symptoms as an overreaction.”
He added: “Whether it’s being passed from one appointment to another for conditions like endometriosis and fibroids, or a lack of proper pain relief during invasive procedures, through to having to navigate symptoms for years before receiving a diagnosis, it’s clear the system is failing women.
“Women’s voices must be central to delivering effective, respectful and empathetic care. We need to hit medical misogyny where it hurts – the wallet. Today’s renewed strategy will tackle the issues women face every day and ensure no woman is left fighting to be heard.”
Other plans include a £1m menstrual education programme to ensure girls are better equipped to recognise the difference between healthy and unhealthy periods.
A redesign of clinical pathways for some women’s health issues will aim to speed up diagnosis and treatment, and there will be a review of support for families who experience repeated baby loss.
The government also promised a “single referral point” to ensure women were directed to the right place the first time they sought help.
Dr Sue Mann, NHS England’s women’s health director, said too many women were dismissed for “serious symptoms” that affected every part of their lives. “The renewed women’s health strategy will build significantly on the work the NHS has been doing to ensure women are heard and get the specialist care they need,” she said.
Women’s health groups cautiously welcomed the renewed strategy. Emma Cox, the chief executive of Endometriosis UK, said decisive action would be vital to improve women’s healthcare in England.
Q&A
What is Wes Streeting's new women's health strategy in England?
Wes Streeting's new strategy aims to improve women's healthcare access, provide better pain relief during procedures, and reduce long diagnosis wait times for conditions like endometriosis.
How will the women's health strategy address medical misogyny?
The strategy seeks to stop women from being 'gaslit' by doctors and includes measures to enhance the standard of care and empower women to withhold payment for poor healthcare experiences.
What specific measures are included in the renewed women's health strategy?
The renewed strategy includes offering pain relief for invasive procedures and linking feedback to provider funding to improve service quality.
What are the expected outcomes of the women's health strategy for conditions like endometriosis?
The strategy aims to significantly reduce the long wait times for diagnosing conditions such as endometriosis, which can currently take up to a decade.
