Menopause
Menopausal women to gain right to flexible working under Labour plans
Firms will be asked to provide flexible working for menopausal women under Labour’s workplace reforms, aimed at improving retention and boosting the economy.
Ministers believe letting female staff experiencing symptoms work from home or adjust hours will help them stay in jobs longer, while helping businesses retain skilled workers.
One in 10 women leave work during menopause due to severe symptoms, which can include anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, hot flushes and difficulty concentrating.
A government-commissioned review last month estimated the cost of women leaving work due to symptoms at £1.5bn a year.
The review also calculated annual losses of £191m from sick leave and £22.4m from presenteeism – when employees work despite severe symptoms.
Official figures show a 5 per cent rise in female employment could add up to £125bn a year to the UK economy.
Under the Employment Rights Bill, now in its final stages in Parliament, firms with 250 or more staff will be legally required to introduce “menopause action plans” from 2027.
Smaller companies will be encouraged to follow voluntarily. From next year, all businesses will be able to introduce plans voluntarily with government guidance.
The Department for Work and Pensions review reported that “women say flexible working patterns would make menopause more manageable.”
The government’s Office for Equality and Opportunity said the plans would “ensure that every organisation benefits from harnessing the talent, creativity and brilliance of women in their workforce.”
“In the process of producing their plans, employers will be prompted to select from a range of actions that research has shown to be effective.
“We know that there are a number of actions that can be beneficial for employees in a range of circumstances. We anticipate that flexible working will form part of this work.
“For example, flexible working can help people manage long-term health conditions, such as the more debilitating symptoms of menopause.”
The office added that flexible working “helps people achieve a better work life balance, which can lead to happier, healthier and more productive employees.
“It can also help people stay in work whilst navigating a range of circumstances, which may include women going through the menopause.”
The Co-op group is one of a number of firms to have already introduced a formal menopause policy.
The retailer’s chief people officer has been working with No10 to share the experiences of its female workers.
Co-op said it was “proud to support colleagues at every life stage, and we welcome the government’s renewed focus on workplace rights, particularly around menopause and reproductive health.”
Its support includes dedicated menopause colleague groups, peer support, regular coffee mornings, guidance for staff and managers, and tailored support plans.
The government wants to lift overall employment to 80 per cent from 75.3 per cent for people aged 16 to 64.
The DWP review called understanding the workplace impact of menopause “ever more crucial” to hitting this target.
It said there is “considerable evidence that some women going through menopause experience symptoms which can impair their confidence and well-being at work and, to a lesser extent, their ability to effectively do their jobs.”
Labour market participation among women is increasing, with 4.6m economically active women aged 50 to 64 last year and 5.4m aged 35 to 49.
Menopause typically affects women aged between 45 and 55, with average onset at 51.
The reforms are part of wider workers’ rights plans overseen by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner, including day-one flexible working requests and the right to disconnect from out-of-hours work communication.
Ministers will consult employers, trade unions and other groups on flexible working this winter, with implementation due in 2027. The right to switch off is also scheduled for 2027 following consultation.
The TUC has welcomed the flexible working proposals but wants the government to add an advertising duty requiring employers to state flexible working terms in job adverts.
A TUC poll this year found 74 per cent of voters back easier access to flexible working, including 63 per cent of Reform voters and 64 per cent of Conservative voters, while 12 per cent oppose the policy.
The government and NHS England should work with pharmacies to show how the sector can help women experiencing menopause symptoms, according to a joint statement released by several pharmacy bodies.
A consensus statement endorsed by the Royal College of Pharmacy warned there remains significant unmet need for clear, evidence-based guidance and advice on the condition.
The statement, ‘Menopause, unmissed’, published on 24 April 2026, was endorsed by bodies including the Royal College of Pharmacy, the Company Chemists’ Association and the National Pharmacy Association.
Amandeep Doll, director for England at the Royal College of Pharmacy, said: “Pharmacy teams are highly accessible and already support people experiencing menopause with advice, self-care and signposting to other services.
“We endorsed this statement because improving access to clear information and joined-up care is essential, particularly for those facing inequalities.”
According to the NHS, around 75 per cent of women experience some symptoms during perimenopause and menopause, while 25 per cent report that their symptoms are severe.
In the joint statement, the pharmacy bodies welcomed increased awareness of menopause in recent years but warned this had also led to a sea of misinformation and that there remains significant unmet need, particularly for clear, evidence-based and accessible information and guidance.
The document set out eight recommendations to improve menopause care, including a public awareness campaign on menopause symptoms and opportunities for self-care, alongside guidance on how pharmacies can support women with menopause.
It also recommended that integrated care boards and women’s health hubs should report progress on implementing the upcoming equity framework in menopause care.
In its renewed women’s health strategy for England, published on 15 April 2026, the Department of Health and Social Care set out plans to publish an equity good practice guide to help integrated care boards better understand and reduce inequalities in heavy periods and menopause.
The joint statement asked that the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England work with champions in minority communities to ensure menopause materials reflect a diverse range of experiences.
It added that women living in areas of high deprivation and those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities can experience menopause differently and are more likely to face health inequalities in their care.
Doll said: “With the right support, training and commissioning, community pharmacy can play a greater role in delivering timely, convenient menopause care closer to home, working as part of neighbourhood health teams and in partnership with women’s health hubs.”
Theramex has been censured over HRT failures that regulators said jeopardised patient safety.
The UK producer of HRT drugs, including Evorel and Intrarosa, was found to have breached fundamental compliance standards.
These included not updating crucial prescribing information, in some cases for several years, and not making clear that one drug must not be used during pregnancy.
The Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority issued the public reprimand after Theramex staff blew the whistle over what it described as “alarming” compliance issues and incomplete prescribing information for Evorel and Intrarosa that “jeopardise patient safety”.
Evorel patches, which contain estradiol, are among the most prescribed forms of transdermal HRT, meaning hormone treatment delivered through the skin. More than 250,000 items were issued in the last financial year, according to NHS Business Services Authority figures.
Overall, nearly 10m items of estradiol, including gels, were prescribed in the 2024/25 financial year.
The employees’ concerns included failing to provide comprehensive side-effect information in Evorel’s prescribing information, and not updating Intrarosa’s product information since 2019.
The PMCPA also reprimanded the company over failures to specify in advertising at a reproduction and advertising conference that Yselty, used to treat uterine fibroids, should not be taken during pregnancy.
In total, the PMCPA found Theramex had breached the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry’s code of practice 21 times.
The panel said the breaches not only jeopardised patient safety, but that Theramex had “brought discredit upon, and reduced confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry”.
The PMCPA also condemned Theramex’s decision to leave the regulator’s jurisdiction.
“By leaving the self-regulatory framework and requiring the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to assume full responsibility for regulating it, Theramex has inevitably delayed any regulatory action and oversight,” it said.
Dr Amit Aggarwal, medical director of the ABPI, said: “Theramex has fallen seriously short of the standards expected under our strict ABPI code of practice, and it’s right that the PMCPA took action.
“It’s also disappointing that as a result, the company has decided to leave the pharmaceutical industry’s self-regulatory system, which holds companies to standards above and beyond the law.”
Julian Beach, MHRA’s executive director of healthcare quality and access, said he was disappointed Theramex had left the PMCPA, but that the MHRA would take any necessary steps to ensure patient safety.
He said: “Leaving the jurisdiction of the PMCPA does not mean a company escapes scrutiny.
“The MHRA has legal powers to investigate and act on concerns about medicines that may impact public safety. Breaches of regulations can amount to criminal offences.”
A spokesperson for Theramex said: “Upholding ethical standards, compliance, and patient safety is very important to us. We acted promptly to address these historical matters as soon as we became aware of them.
“We take these matters seriously and have undertaken a comprehensive review of our compliance framework, including commissioning an independent external audit and implementing a broad programme of enhancements.
“As part of this process, we concluded it is most appropriate to be regulated with respect to UK medicines legislation by the MHRA, while continuing to uphold the spirit and principles of the EFPIA and ABPI codes of practice.
“Therefore, we withdrew from the PMCPA’s jurisdiction in January 2026. This approach allows us to focus our resources on maintaining high standards of ethical and compliant behaviour, with patient safety.”
A University of Sheffield initiative is tackling overlooked women’s health problems by helping students develop solutions to delays and inequalities in care.
In a first-of-its-kind collaboration bringing together students, clinicians and industry leaders, new ideas have been developed to address health challenges that leave millions of women facing years-long delays in diagnosis and care.
The Women’s Health Innovation Challenge saw 50 students from across disciplines and year groups work in teams on issues including fragmented care across the female health lifecycle and the widespread normalisation of serious symptoms.
Among the key challenges explored was endometriosis, a condition affecting one in 10 women globally, where patients in the UK face an average diagnosis time of more than nine years.
Other innovations addressed gaps in menopause care, cardiovascular health in women and the fragmentation of digital health solutions across different life stages.
The initiative reflects the university’s growing work in women’s health innovation, a field widely recognised as underfunded and underserved despite affecting half the global population, and its commitment to turning research and ideas into meaningful impact.
Rachel Kovacs, a final year biomedical engineering student at the University of Sheffield and organiser of the event, said: “I was lucky enough to be one of the students to take the first Women’s Health in Biomedical Engineering module in the UK, right here in Sheffield, and it really opened my eyes to how under-innovated the field is.
“I only discovered this in my final year and I wanted other students to find it sooner.
“The event itself has already made a huge difference. Students now see women’s health as a space worth innovating in.
“If even a handful take their ideas further, we could genuinely change women’s lives.
“Having personally experienced some of these gaps, I know the impact this could have on women across the globe.”
The event was supported by experts from across research, industry and healthcare, including panel members from Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, an NHS England organisation which acts as a bridge between healthcare providers, commissioners, academia and industry.
Participants explored a range of possible solutions to some of the sector’s most complex challenges.
The event culminated in students pitching their ideas to a panel including clinicians, academic researchers and founders of women’s health startups, creating a direct link between emerging innovation and real-world application.
The challenge forms part of the university’s wider activity in this space, including its Women’s HealthTech Innovation Network, which brings together regional and national expertise to translate research into solutions that address longstanding inequalities in care.
Dr Vanessa Hearnden, senior lecturer in biomaterials and tissue engineering at the University of Sheffield and co-chair of the Women’s HealthTech Innovation Network, said: “The Women’s Health Innovation Challenge gave students a rare opportunity to work directly with clinicians, researchers and industry partners to tackle real-world problems.
“The quality of ideas and level of engagement demonstrated the impact this kind of interdisciplinary, challenge-led learning can have.”
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