Today the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced it will undertake a refresh of the Women’s Health Strategy.
The College has been calling for action on the Strategy since the Government came to power in 2024 on the promise that "Never again will women's health be neglected”, so this is a welcome step in the right direction.
Following the publication of the 10 Year Health Plan, the College published a high-level assessment of the Women’s Health Strategy for England, assessing what has changed for women and girls since its launch in 2022, the challenges that remain across women’s healthcare, and what needs to happen next to accelerate progress.
The analysis of the Strategy identified meaningful green-shoots of progress in three years. These include the establishment of local women’s health hubs, enabling more women to access a range of vital services closer to home and improved access to oral contraception through local pharmacies since 2023.
However, despite the incredible efforts of NHS staff working in women’s health services, overall progress on delivering the Strategy is patchy and there is much still to be done.
Women in the most deprived areas still face shorter life expectancy and higher maternal risk. Cervical screening coverage remains well below NHS targets, with only 69% screened in 2023–2024. The latest data for England, published in October, indicates the gynaecology waiting list stands at over half a million.
Professor Ranee Thakar, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said: “We welcome the Government’s decision to refresh the Women’s Health Strategy in line with the 10-Year Health Plan. This presents a vital opportunity to address longstanding gaps in women’s health and ensure that future services are inclusive, preventative, and digitally enabled. The RCOG’s analysis of the Strategy highlights where more focus is needed to improve the health of women and girls, and we urge the Government to act on our recommendations as part of its Strategy refresh.
“For the refreshed strategy to be truly effective, it must be shaped through meaningful engagement with stakeholders across the sector, including women, healthcare professionals, and advocacy groups. Without this, there’s a real risk that the strategy will fall short of its potential to deliver lasting change for women and the workforce that supports them.”
- The Department of Health & Social Care press release here.
- Read the report here: A Work in Progress: evaluating the Women’s Health Strategy