Charity launches Women’s Health Plan to tackle inequalities in long-term conditions

 Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland has launched a three-year Women’s Health Plan setting out actions to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment and support for women in Scotland.

The 2026 to 2029 plan includes commitments on health information, prevention and early detection, professional training, peer support, post-diagnosis care, policy and research.

It comes amid disparities affecting women with chest, heart and stroke conditions, including differences in diagnosis, testing and treatment.

 

Figures cited by the charity show women in Scotland are 50 per cent more likely than men to receive an initial misdiagnosis after a heart attack.

Jane-Claire Judson, chief executive of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, said: “Women have been telling us for years that their symptoms aren’t being taken seriously, and the evidence backs them up.

“When we talk about women’s health, we need to look beyond reproductive and maternal health alone.

“Women experience inequalities across a wide range of conditions, including chest, heart, stroke and Long Covid conditions, and they deserve equitable access to the information, support and care they need.

“Our CHSS Women’s Health Plan is about listening to those experiences and turning them into meaningful action.”

Across the UK, women are twice as likely to be misdiagnosed with heart failure, with many waiting an average of 20 weeks for a diagnosis, compared with 3.6 weeks for men.

There are more than 4,600 incidences of stroke in women in Scotland each year, with more than 1,200 dying as a result.

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are also more common among women, while women are nearly twice as likely as men to die from asthma.

Women are less likely to be offered diagnostic testing within 72 hours of a heart attack and less likely to be prescribed medication that reduces the risk of a second heart attack, according to the charity.

CHSS also said conditions that predominantly affect women, including Long Covid and heart conditions such as coronary microvascular dysfunction, remain under-researched and under-diagnosed.

Four in five women say they are not listened to by healthcare professionals, while UK female life expectancy has fallen from 20th to 26th place among 38 OECD countries in recent years.

The Women’s Health Plan includes developing women-specific health information and launching a prevention and early detection programme through CHSS’s Health Defence and Community Healthcare Support Service.

Other commitments include raising the visibility of women’s health, strengthening training for healthcare professionals, CHSS colleagues and volunteers, expanding peer support and post-diagnosis care, and campaigning for changes to policy, funding and women’s inclusion in research.

The charity also plans to drive continuous improvement in its women’s health work, shaped by lived experience.

CHSS said it will seek to address inequalities through prevention programmes, professional education, policy influence and improved support for women across Scotland.

The plan builds on CHSS’s women’s health work launched in 2021 and its wider No Life Half Lived strategy. It also aligns with phases one and two of the Scottish Government’s Women’s Health Plan.

More than 140 responses to a national survey helped shape the plan, alongside consultation with health and social care professionals and people with lived experience through CHSS’s Voices of Experience Panel.

Judson said: “By improving awareness, supporting earlier detection and diagnosis, and ensuring women are heard when they seek help, we can begin to address inequalities that have persisted for far too long.

“Our first plan, launched in 2021, established important foundations.

“This next phase builds on that progress and reflects our commitment to a Scotland, where nobody is left behind because of their sex or gender.

“At Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, our No Life Half Lived mission means working towards a future where everyone can live well with their condition. By bringing together women with lived experience, health professionals, policymakers and partners, we can create lasting change and help build a fairer, healthier Scotland for women.”