Wes Streeting Relaunches Women's Health Strategy to Tackle 'Medical Misogyny' in NHS
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has pledged to stop women from being "gaslit" by doctors as he relaunches the women's health strategy for England. Speaking ahead of the strategy's publication, Streeting declared that the NHS is "failing women" and outlined measures to enhance their access to necessary healthcare.
New Standards and Funding Trials to Empower Women
The government's strategy introduces a new standard of care, ensuring women receive pain relief during invasive procedures such as contraceptive coil fittings and hysteroscopies. A trial will directly link patient feedback to provider funding, giving women greater power to drive change after poor experiences. This initiative aims to address long waits for diagnoses, like the decade-long delays often seen with endometriosis.
A recent report by the women and equalities committee highlighted that gynaecological and menstrual health have not been sufficiently prioritised. MPs warned that parts of the original 10-year strategy, launched in 2022, risk being scaled back under broader NHS changes, potentially harming initiatives like women's health hubs that have reduced waiting lists.
Addressing Systemic Failures and Misogyny
Sarah Owen, chair of the committee and a Labour MP, described the situation as a "national scandal," with nearly half a million women on gynaecology waiting lists despite effective treatments available in primary care. The report cited "medical misogyny," where women are told to "suck it up" and endure pain due to a lack of awareness about women's health conditions.
Streeting emphasised, "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." He added that the renewed strategy will ensure women's voices are central to care, targeting misogyny by linking it to financial consequences for providers.
Additional Initiatives and Support
Other plans include a £1 million menstrual education programme to help girls distinguish between healthy and unhealthy periods. Clinical pathways for women's health issues will be redesigned to speed up diagnosis and treatment, and support for families experiencing repeated baby loss will be reviewed. The government also promises a "single referral point" to direct women to appropriate care on their first attempt.
Dr. Sue Mann, NHS England's women's health director, noted that many women are dismissed for serious symptoms affecting their lives. She stated, "The renewed women's health strategy will build significantly on the NHS's work to ensure women are heard and get specialist care." Women's health groups, such as Endometriosis UK, cautiously welcomed the strategy, with CEO Emma Cox stressing the need for decisive action to improve healthcare in England.
