Alex Mayer: An NHS that works for women

A few weeks ago, I spoke to a local pharmacist about the Government’s latest initiative: making the morning-after pill available free of charge at the chemist. She was full of praise for the initiative. Around one in five women aged 18 to 35 need emergency contraception each year, yet many have been paying up to £30 or having to book a GP appointment. This simple, practical step removes barriers and ends the postcode lottery, giving thousands of women easier, confidential access to contraception and peace of mind.

Our health system belongs to us all. But for too long, half of the population has faced obstacles to getting the care they need. Although women on average live longer than men, they spend far more of their lives in ill health or with a disability.

Too often, women’s specific health issues have not been taken seriously enough. Miscarriage, endometriosis and the menopause have historically been sidelined. Women remain under-represented in clinical trials with the knock-on being that too little is known about conditions that only affect women or how conditions may impact them differently.

It’s an issue for both physical and mental health. Autism for example presents differently in women and girls, leading to delayed diagnosis. And when the Government took office, it inherited record waiting lists, including nearly 600,000 women waiting for gynaecology care.

Positive steps are now being taken. The Women’s Health Strategy is being renewed, and gynaecology waiting lists have begun to fall for the first time in years thanks to extra investment. The newly introduced “Jess’s Rule” means GPs must “think again” if a patient is seen three times without a diagnosis or if symptoms worsen which is an important safeguard to ensure women are listened to.

From next year, women aged 40 to 74 across Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Houghton Regis and surrounding villages will be asked directly about the menopause during their free NHS Health Check. Up to 15,000 local women could benefit. Thousands of new midwives are being trained, work is underway to tackle maternity inequalities, and the new Women’s Health Network for BLMK will help ensure women’s voices are heard.

Women deserve a healthcare system that works for them. There is more to do, but these are welcome steps towards a fairer, more responsive NHS.