Women’s Health Strategy risks becoming “PR sticking plaster”, warn campaigners

England’s Women’s Health Strategy risks becoming a “PR sticking plaster” unless more government funding is made available, campaigners have said.

The Women’s Health Strategy, published for the first time in July 2022, has bold ambitions to tackle inequalities within the health and care system.

As of this year, the initiative seeks to provide better care for menstrual and gynaecological conditions, expand women’s health hubs, improve maternity care and accelerate research.

However, with the UK general election looming, experts and women’s health campaigners have warned that the government could be using the strategy as a “short-term vote-winner” rather than a sustainable, long-term plan.

Kate Muir, women’s health campaigner and author of Everything You Need to Know About the Pill, said: “Until the Women’s Health Strategy is properly funded, it will just be a public-relations sticking plaster covering up ongoing chaos, misery, and year-long waiting lists.

“While Dame Professor Lesley Regan is doing an innovative job, the £25m over two years to fund one-stop-shop women’s health hubs across the country works out at roughly £1 per woman.

“Meanwhile, the government has spent £240m on its failed Rwanda deportation scheme. It is clear women’s health is not a priority.”

Hannah Wrathall, director at the London-based consulting firm Wrapp Consulting, said: “My concern is that the government is using the strategy as a short-term vote-winner.

“The promised funding is not enough. We need to keep reinforcing that addressing women’s health is not only a health issue but one that impacts our productivity and economic growth too.”

Last month, as part of the Women’s Health Strategy, the health secretary Victoria Atkins announced £50m in funding to tackle maternal disparities and support research into other aspects of women’s health. How that will play out, however, remains unclear.

“They specifically talk about research, but we don’t know how they are going to fund that research,” said Karli Büchling, women’s health advocate and founder of Yoni Health.

“What are the actions that they are going to take to prioritise menstrual and gynaecological conditions and women’s health research?

“With regards to research into menstrual and gynaecological conditions, it is solely focussed on how to improve care. We don’t know though what type of research they are going to focus on and how long this budget will be allocated for.”

Currently, the UK has the largest gender health gap in the G20. According to Public Health England, the average woman spends nearly a quarter of her life in poor health compared with a fifth for men.

Despite the fact that one in three women in the UK will suffer from a reproductive or gynaecological problem, less than 2.5 per cent of publicly funded research is dedicated solely to reproductive health.

Dr Bella Smith, GP and co-founder of The Well HQ, said: “For too long women’s health has been medicalised and shrouded in shame and stigma. Women want to talk openly about their symptoms and their experience and be able to understand their bodies at every life stage.

“Too many women suffer with menstrual issues, such as endometriosis, that need more understanding, quicker easier diagnosis and better treatment.

“As a doctor, I want to be able to help my patients to diagnosed and treated quickly, efficiently and effectively. Women need to be heard more, listened to and believed.”