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The health secretary has declared the NHS is “failing women”, unveiling a comprehensive package of measures designed to prevent women from being “gaslit” by the health service.
The reforms aim to dismantle “outdated and misogynistic practices” concerning pain relief during invasive procedures.
Under the new proposals, women will be empowered to influence the withholding of payments for services if they experience substandard care, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
Officials also confirmed that action will be taken to significantly reduce the protracted diagnostic waiting times for common women’s health conditions, such as endometriosis, which can currently take up to a decade to identify.
Mr Streeting commented that women have been “let down” by the healthcare system for too long, as he launched a renewed Women’s Health Strategy.
It comes after a report from the Women and Equalities Committee of MPs concluded that women face “medical misogyny” and are being left to “suck it up” and endure pain for years because of a lack of awareness of women’s health conditions.
The updated strategy will include a new standard of care to ensure women are offered pain relief for invasive procedures – such as fitting a contraceptive coil and hysteroscopies, the department said.
And women’s feedback will be directly linked to provider funding through a new trial.
Mr Streeting alluded to the policy in a speech in March, saying he was going to give “women the power to kick medical misogyny where it hurts: the bank balance”.
Launching the renewed strategy, he 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”.
Mr Streeting went on: “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. Today’s renewed strategy will tackle the issues women face every day and ensure no woman is left fighting to be heard.”
Other plans in the updated strategy include:
- A new £1m menstrual education programme to ensure girls are better equipped to recognise the difference between healthy and unhealthy periods
- A redesign of so-called clinical pathways for heavy periods, urogynaecology and menopause to speed up diagnosis and treatment
- A pledge to provide better access to contraceptive and abortion care
- A review of support for families who experience repeated baby loss
- A “single referral point” to make sure women are directed to the right place the first time they seek help
- Local services will be “married” with online support in a bid to cut waiting lists and prevent women waiting years for treatment and diagnosis
Dr Sue Mann, NHS England’s clinical director for women’s health, said: “There are still parts of society and the health system that are trapped in outdated thinking.
“Too many women are still dismissed for serious symptoms that impact on every part of their lives, whether that’s menstrual pain, irregular periods, or hot flushes and brain fog that affect many women experiencing the menopause.
“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.”
Dr Alison Wright, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, welcomed plans for “tackling the gynaecology waiting list crisis, raising menstrual health awareness and supporting sustainable abortion services”.
Janet Lindsay, chief executive of the charity Wellbeing of Women, said: “We fully support the emphasis on listening to women’s voices when planning individual care, and in designing wider systems for diagnosis, treatment, and support.”
Emma Cox, chief executive of Endometriosis UK, added: “Diagnosis times for endometriosis are going up, not down, and it’s now taking an average of nine years, four months – rising to 11 years for diverse ethnic communities – which is totally unacceptable.
“Leadership and decisive actions will be vital to drive these times down.”
