Dean Russell has welcomed the announcement of new measures to boost the health and wellbeing of women and girls.
Hundreds of thousands of women have already directly benefited from the strategy and the Government is building on its success by launching a women’s health area on the NHS website.
Dean Russell MP said
"I am pleased to see the Government's commitment to enhancing the health and wellbeing of women and girls, with a particular focus on providing support to those who have experienced the heartache of baby loss. The positive impact of the strategy is already evident, benefiting hundreds of thousands of women across the country.
The launch of a dedicated women's health area on the NHS website is a significant step forward, consolidating essential information on over 100 topics related to women's health. Additionally, the inclusion of a new Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) hub, a dedicated page on adenomyosis, and crucial guidance on periods will further empower women to take charge of their health.
These measures showcase the Government's commitment to providing accessible and comprehensive resources for women's health ."
Minister for Women’s Health Maria Caulfield said:
“A year on from the launch of our women’s health strategy, we have much progress to celebrate. Over 300,000 more women have accessed cheaper HRT; new women’s health hubs are popping up across the country; and we’re adding a dedicated women’s health area to the NHS website. But there is plenty more to do.
“Our work continues to support women through the agony of pregnancy loss. I’d like to thank all the brave and inspiring women who have campaigned tirelessly for change as well as the review leads Zoe Clark-Coates and Samantha Collinge, who carried out this really important review.
“We will keep working and investing so girls and women across the country can benefit from the world-class healthcare they deserve.”
Enhancing the NHS website will enable women and girls of all ages to easily access important information about their health by bringing together a range of new and existing content in one place. It also will provide information for women at every stage of their lives on a range of health issues including periods, gynaecological conditions, fertility, pregnancy, heart health and cancers.
The newly launched hub for HRT will help women manage menopausal symptoms and make it easier for them to find information on different types of HRT and help decide which medicine is best suited for them.
This builds on the support offered by the NHS HRT Prescription Payment Certificate lanched in April this year. Since the launch, more than 300,000 certificates for HRT have already been purchased, with the new certificates saving the average person around £30 for a year’s supply. This means women could potentially save around £9 million in prescription charges this year.
Acknowledging the work of BBC presenter Naga Munchetty and patient groups to raise awareness of the condition, we have also ensured the NHS website now contains a page on the debilitating condition adenomyosis – including information about symptoms and the treatment currently available.
We have also invested £53 million into the National Institute for Health and Care Research programmes to support women’s health – including research on male violence against women and girls, and a call for further research into testosterone as a treatment for menopause symptoms.
Additional measures being announced today include:
- A ‘hackathon’ will take place this September, where clinicians and data scientists will work to develop an AI tool that can analyse vast amounts of data, helping to identify any early risks and trends in maternity units.
- £25 million will be distributed among areas across England to create women’s health hubs, with each Integrated Care Board set to receive £595,000 to meet local women’s health and wellbeing needs.
- A new tool has been launched on gov.uk allowing people to look up information about NHS-funded IVF treatment in their area – giving greater transparency on IVF supply.
- The Women’s Health Ambassador for England, Professor Dame Lesley Regan, has formed a new network of Women’s Health Champions – made up of senior leaders from every local care system – to drive forward wider work to improve women’s health.
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We are also going further and faster to support the wellbeing of women experiencing the heartbreak of baby loss.
This includes issuing a full response to the findings published by the independent Pregnancy Loss Review into the care and support available to women when baby loss occurs before 24 weeks gestation.
As a first step, our published response sets out a commitment to introduce voluntary certificates for parents who have experienced the heartbreak of pre-24-week pregnancy loss to be rolled-out this October during Baby Loss Awareness Week. These certificates will serve as a document that acknowledges pregnancy loss and help bereaved parents with the unimaginable pain and grieving process.
Over this summer, the certificate will be trialled with 1,000 bereaved families, who will be able to advise us on the application process and receive a certificate themselves.
Extensive work will also begin to explore how women who have experienced loss can safely and appropriately store fetal tissue, get 24/7 access to care and those experiencing the devastation of multiple miscarriages receive the treatment and testing they need.
Zoe Clark-Coates MBE BCAh, Founder and CEO The Mariposa Trust, Co-chair The Pregnancy Loss Review said:
“Over the past five years, it has been my honour to co-chair and write the Pregnancy Loss Review. The 73 recommendations that Sam and I have submitted within the review offer a real opportunity to revolutionise baby loss care in England. My passion and long-term commitment is to help all bereaved families, and by the implementation of these recommendations, I believe we will make great strides in addressing the disparities in the care, support, education, and training that currently exist.
“I would like to thank the Minister and government for their swift response, support, and commitment to action all the recommendations over the short, medium, and long-term. Change is not going to happen overnight, but I am reassured that there is the desire and commitment to provide compassionate care and clinical excellence.
“I look forward to assisting the Health Minister with the implementation of the recommendations over the coming months and years, and ensuring that the work of this review, and the spirit of the recommendations are upheld.”
Samantha Collinge, Bereavement Lead Midwife, George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, Co-chair The Pregnancy Loss Review said:
“The Pregnancy Loss Review and its recommendations offer a real opportunity to radically improve the care experience of parents and their families experiencing baby loss and I feel enormously privileged to have been able to co-lead this piece of work.
“I would like to pay tribute to the courage of the bereaved parents who so freely shared with us their often-harrowing stories of loss through their own desire to see and bring about change.
“Similarly, Zoe and I are indebted to the countless passionate and dedicated healthcare professionals, organisations and charities who sacrifice their own psychological wellbeing on a daily basis in working with and striving to improve care for families experiencing baby loss.
“I look forward to working with the government to drive these recommendations forward and ensure that that this vital learning from families and care providers is suitably implemented.”
Professor Dame Lesley Regan, Women’s Health Ambassador said:
“A huge amount has been achieved in the strategy’s first year – from developing tools, identifying funding, piloting local health hubs, prioritising information on the NHS website and improving access to HRT – together we are making a real difference to the lives of so many women.
“This is just the beginning, and every conversation about women’s health is a step towards closing the gender health gap.
“The enthusiasm of all those involved makes it clear that everyone wants to get this right for women and girls, and I look forward to continuing to drive this forward in the coming years.”
Charlotte McArdle, Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for England, said:
“For too long, too many women’s pain has been misunderstood or downplayed and the NHS is committed to finding new ways to ensure their health is prioritised.
“Today, we will launch a new dedicated online health microsite, which brings all information on the NHS website about women’s health into one place, making it as easy as possible to access the latest advice.
“New pages about adenomyosis and HRT have also been added to the NHS website to provide women with information on both issues, and we’ll continue to make updates to other content in the future to make sure it reflects the latest guidance from NICE and feedback from patients.
“We will also work with the government to scope the recommendations from the Pregnancy Loss Review.”
