Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 15 June 2021
It is certainly the case that the challenge does not start only in the doctor’s surgery; it is a societal one. We need to bring about a change and ensure that, from a young age, boys and girls have an understanding of menstrual health and of the course of a woman’s life and how that will impact her.
The provision of education during school is certainly an appropriate idea, but other opportunities exist, such as when women present for breast screening or cervical screening. There are many opportunities to talk about menstrual health with women and to raise awareness of the challenges that we face. I will certainly try to improve the situation.
The plan’s initial priorities, which have been developed over the past 18 months by women and experts on women’s health, are to bring about improvements in abortion services; contraception and sexual health; menopause and menstrual health, including endometriosis; and women’s heart health. Through necessity, the pandemic has led to new and innovative ways of working and of providing patient care, and those are captured for longer-term implementation in the women’s health plan.
To make lasting change, a cultural shift is required, so the plan approaches women’s health in a holistic way and responds to the many factors that impact on women’s health and their ability to access healthcare services. The plan takes a life-course approach to women’s health that emphasises the importance of protecting and promoting health at key stages of life. From pre-conception to pregnancy, childhood and adolescence and into adulthood and later life, it is vital that women have the information that they need when they need it and in a way that is right for them. Such meaningful communication personalises and improves the safety and effectiveness of care, and it helps to address health inequalities.
At every stage, we must give women the opportunity and support that they need to access and participate in decisions about their care. By moving away from a doctor-knows-best culture, we will empower women to make informed decisions about their bodies and their health. We will learn from the pandemic and build back, putting equality at the centre of all that we do. We can reduce some health inequalities by identifying gaps in health service provision, considering areas of best practice and developing actions to address those gaps.
However, the women’s health plan is only one part of a much wider picture when it comes to women’s health and wellbeing. The majority of health inequalities are avoidable. They stem from wider inequalities in society—inequalities of income, wealth and power. Work is being undertaken across the Government to address those wider social determinants of health, to eradicate poverty and to tackle inequality in all aspects of life. A significant amount of work is being undertaken right across Government to improve women’s health, particularly—