Women’s health plan for Wales launched to close the gender health gap

Research shows that while women live longer than men, they live fewer years free from disability, wait longer for pain relief and many women report having their symptoms dismissed.

The plan, created by the National Strategic Clinical Network for Women’s Health, part of the NHS Wales Executive, sets out how NHS organisations in Wales will close the gender health gap by providing better health services for women, ensuring they are listened to and their health needs are understood.

It includes nearly 60 actions across eight priority areas to improve healthcare for women throughout their lifetime, based on feedback from around 4,000 women across Wales.

As part of the plan, £750,000 will be spent on research for women’s health conditions and women’s health hubs will be set up in every part of Wales by 2026.

It also includes a commitment to ‘Make Every Contact Count’ to encourage doctors to ask women about menstrual health and menopause as part of existing appointments.

First Minister Eluned Morgan said:

The first Women’s Health Plan for Wales will ensure women receive better health services throughout the course of their lives.

Women’s health is more than gynaecology and maternal health. I want this plan to be the start of better care for women – I want women’s voices to be heard and their experiences to be recognised. It will mean women’s symptoms, whatever their condition, will no longer be overlooked or dismissed.

Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing Sarah Murphy said:

I’m proud to support the launch of this ambitious 10-year plan, which will drive real improvements in women’s health and outcomes.

I am clear that this plan signals a step change in the way the NHS supports women – it will empower women to be heard when accessing healthcare.

This is the engine for real change. It sets out how we will deliver the better services women in Wales want.

National Clinical Lead for Women’s Health Dr Helen Munro said:

It has been a great privilege to be appointed as the first Clinical Lead for Women’s Health in Wales, and to lead on the design of the NHS Wales Women’s Health Plan.

My hope is that the plan will help to raise awareness that women's health must be a priority. As a clinician, I am acutely aware that services for women in Wales often fall short of what women require, need and deserve. Through the implementation of the plan we hope to reverse this.

Through true collaboration across healthcare systems, by working with the Welsh Government, but most importantly through working together with women we can ensure better health of the 51 per cent. Today, we begin the work to make positive change happen.

Dee Montague-Coast, of Fair Treatment for Women of Wales (FTWW), said:

The Women’s Health Wales Coalition welcomes the launch of this NHS Wales Women’s Health Plan.

The Coalition’s evidence showed how women and people registered female at birth experience disparities across a huge range of health issues and that, too often, women’s needs haven’t been considered.

We look forward now to supporting the plan’s implementation, and to a Wales where our voices are heard, our health better understood, and health equity achieved.

The plan, which will be added to over time, includes:

1. Menstrual health – create specialist women’s health hubs in each health board to help diagnose menstrual health conditions, increase research and develop further educational materials for everyone, including boys and men.
2. Endometriosis and adenomyosis – provide further training of endometriosis as a chronic condition and education as part of the curriculum.
3. Contraception, post-natal contraception and abortion care – increase online reliable information, collect further data and improve training for use of contraception such as the coil.
4. Preconception health – each health board to have a strategy on helping people to conceive, provide further training and take into account risks including mental health, epilepsy and type 2 diabetes.
5. Pelvic health and incontinence – improve access to online information, engage with universities on new research and develop a pelvic floor dysfunction symptom checker.
6. Menopause – review all prescribing practices relating to HRT, develop community menopause champions and undertake research.
7. Violence against women and girls – NHS Wales to sign up to a ‘sexual safety in healthcare organisations’ charter, consider VAWDASV champions in each health board and further education for all healthcare workers.
8. Ageing well and long-term conditions across the life course – empower women to manage their own health needs, understand the ageing process and take preventative action.

First Minister Eluned Morgan and Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing Sarah Murphy, who has responsibility for women’s health, will launch the plan today alongside National Clinical Lead for Women’s Health Dr Helen Munro, and Dee Montague-Coast from Fair Treatment for Women of Wales at a Women Connect First Let’s Age Well exercise class in Cardiff.