UK government sets clear vision on women's health

DECADES of gender health inequality will be addressed as the UK government publishes its vision on women’s health.

The Vision for Women’s Health will set out key government commitments on women’s health, while recognising wide changes needed to tackle some of the issues that would be addressed by the upcoming Women’s Health Strategy in spring 2022.

To help transform the vision into a decisive strategy and action, the government will appoint a Women’s Health Ambassador, who will raise the profile of women's health, increase awareness about taboo topics and support the government in implementing the strategy.

Underpinned by the analysis from almost 100,000 responses to the call for evidence, the vision reflects the government's ambition for a healthcare system that would prioritise care on the basis of clinical need, not gender.

The responses gave stark and sobering insights into women’s experiences of health and care and highlighted entrenched problems within the healthcare system.

Minister for women’s health Maria Caulfield said: “The responses from the call for evidence were in many ways as expected, particularly with regards to women's priorities, but in some places the revelations were shocking.

“It is not right that over three quarters of women feel the healthcare service has not listened. This must be addressed.

“Many of the issues raised require long-term system wide changes, but we must start somewhere. I am proud to publish our vision for women’s health. It is the first step to realising our ambition of a healthcare system which supports women's needs throughout their lives.”