Recommendations & Conclusions
11 items
1
Conclusion
1st Report - Women's reproductive healt…
Accepted
High quality education about reproductive health is vital. Educating girls about their periods and the possibility of related conditions at a young age safeguards them against the distress of not understanding what is happening to their bodies and empowers them to identify problems and to seek help. We welcome the …
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High quality education about reproductive health is vital. Educating girls about their periods and the possibility of related conditions at a young age safeguards them against the distress of not understanding what is happening to their bodies and empowers them to identify problems and to seek help. We welcome the inclusion of teaching about reproductive health conditions in the draft RSHE statutory guidance.
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Government response AI summary
The government agrees on the importance of comprehensive menstrual health education and states the Department for Education is reviewing the RSHE statutory guidance, including menstrual and gynaecological health, with consultation results and its response to be published this year.
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Government Equalities Office
6
Conclusion
1st Report - Women's reproductive healt…
Accepted
We welcome the ongoing improvements to the NHS website to include information about a wider range of women’s reproductive health conditions, information to specific communities and signposts to support and the ambition to include that information in alternative formats.
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We welcome the ongoing improvements to the NHS website to include information about a wider range of women’s reproductive health conditions, information to specific communities and signposts to support and the ambition to include that information in alternative formats.
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Government response AI summary
The government outlined existing plans for reforming elective care, including gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres, aiming to meet the 18-week referral-to-treatment standard by March 2029. It also highlighted ongoing Office for National Statistics studies on endometriosis and NHS England's work on developing metrics for …
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Government Equalities Office
8
Recommendation
1st Report - Women's reproductive healt…
Accepted
To supplement improvements in the provision of information on the NHS website, we recommend the inclusion of an interactive tool which can help women to determine whether they might have a reproductive health condition. We further recommend that information on specific conditions, contains links to the relevant medical guidelines so …
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To supplement improvements in the provision of information on the NHS website, we recommend the inclusion of an interactive tool which can help women to determine whether they might have a reproductive health condition. We further recommend that information on specific conditions, contains links to the relevant medical guidelines so that patients can make themselves aware of the care they should expect. Information on the website should be made accessible by default, including in different languages. The link between reproductive health conditions and mental ill health should also be clearer, with information on how to access support signposted. Women’s health hubs should be commissioned to provide tailored information at a local level, in a range of formats suited to their local population.
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Government response AI summary
The government emphasised that healthcare professionals are expected to provide comprehensive information, discuss treatment options, pain relief, and use shared decision-making, citing existing NHS England guidance. It also noted that women's health hubs provide specialist knowledge, but did not commit to any new actions regarding …
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Government Equalities Office
10
Conclusion
1st Report - Women's reproductive healt…
Accepted
There is a clear lack of awareness and understanding of women’s reproductive health conditions among primary healthcare practitioners, particularly when those conditions occur in young women and girls. Women are finding their symptoms normalised and their pain dismissed, with an ingrained belief among some healthcare professionals that women, 73 particularly …
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There is a clear lack of awareness and understanding of women’s reproductive health conditions among primary healthcare practitioners, particularly when those conditions occur in young women and girls. Women are finding their symptoms normalised and their pain dismissed, with an ingrained belief among some healthcare professionals that women, 73 particularly those from a minority ethnic background, are exaggerating their symptoms. Such medical misogyny and racism is unacceptable.
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Government response AI summary
The government agreed on the importance of addressing women’s pain and experiences. It committed that NHS England, with DHSC, will review the potential of conducting the Reproductive Health Survey regularly and that NHS England will review national data collection processes and protocols, including scoping a …
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Government Equalities Office
11
Recommendation
1st Report - Women's reproductive healt…
Accepted
The NHS needs to urgently implement a training programme to improve the experience of treatment and diagnosis in primary care for women, girls, trans and non-binary people with reproductive ill health. Improving early diagnosis, including through the provision of follow up appointments, must be a priority to prevent a worsening …
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The NHS needs to urgently implement a training programme to improve the experience of treatment and diagnosis in primary care for women, girls, trans and non-binary people with reproductive ill health. Improving early diagnosis, including through the provision of follow up appointments, must be a priority to prevent a worsening of symptoms. The programme should seek to challenge racial biases and ensure that all those experiencing pain are believed and able to access treatment and support quickly. It should include training to support women and girls whose socio-cultural situation or beliefs make it harder to discuss reproductive health conditions and involve women and girls with lived experience.
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Government response AI summary
The government recognises the importance of raising awareness and committing to addressing racial biases, referring to an existing RCGP Women's Health Library with educational resources for primary care professionals. It also points to NHS England's plan to meet 18-week treatment standards by March 2029 for …
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Government Equalities Office
17
Conclusion
1st Report - Women's reproductive healt…
Accepted
The NHS must do more to monitor and enforce protocols governing procedures such hysteroscopy, IUD fitting and cervical screening and ensure that they are underpinned by informed consent and are trauma-informed. A risk assessment that allows a patient to make an informed choice on the recommended procedure should be undertaken …
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The NHS must do more to monitor and enforce protocols governing procedures such hysteroscopy, IUD fitting and cervical screening and ensure that they are underpinned by informed consent and are trauma-informed. A risk assessment that allows a patient to make an informed choice on the recommended procedure should be undertaken as standard, taking account of any previous history of undergoing related procedures. This should also include consideration of the patient’s mental and physical preparedness for a penetrative procedure, particularly in cases where the individual has not had or recently had penetrative sex. The full range of options on pain relief, including anaesthesia, should be considered and a clear commitment made that if the level of pain during the procedure is unbearable, that procedure will be halted and a separate appointment will be made. As membership bodies, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of General Practitioners should be doing far more to ensure their members adhere to guidelines and best practice.
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Government response AI summary
The government commits to NHS England publishing a suite of adult and children's elective performance metrics, long waits, and waiting times data in an accessible format by March 2027. It will also increase the availability of elective, cancer, and outpatient data and expand diagnostic coding …
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Government Equalities Office
20
Conclusion
1st Report - Women's reproductive healt…
Accepted
Individuals with a suspected or diagnosed reproductive health condition should be offered specialist mental health support from when they start to report distressing and/or painful symptoms and throughout diagnosis and treatment. Delays at each step of the process and a lack of treatment options make mental health support all the …
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Individuals with a suspected or diagnosed reproductive health condition should be offered specialist mental health support from when they start to report distressing and/or painful symptoms and throughout diagnosis and treatment. Delays at each step of the process and a lack of treatment options make mental health support all the more essential.
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Government response AI summary
The government highlights existing Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) providing 24/7 care and enhanced mental health pathways for victims of rape and sexual assault. It states NHS England will review and develop website content for those needing help, and will consider the committee's broader recommendations …
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Government Equalities Office
37
Recommendation
1st Report - Women's reproductive healt…
Accepted
Training on women’s reproductive health in medical schools needs to be improved. Healthcare practitioners are graduating without sufficient knowledge of the conditions that may affect women over their lifetime . 78 Without that education, healthcare professionals are less likely to choose women’s health as a specialty and less able to …
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Training on women’s reproductive health in medical schools needs to be improved. Healthcare practitioners are graduating without sufficient knowledge of the conditions that may affect women over their lifetime . 78 Without that education, healthcare professionals are less likely to choose women’s health as a specialty and less able to support women during their interactions with the health service.
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Government response AI summary
The government acknowledges the importance of training and describes existing measures, such as GMC standards, the new MLA assessment topics (including women's health), and mandatory obstetrics and gynaecology rotations, as already addressing the need for improved education.
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Government Equalities Office
39
Recommendation
1st Report - Women's reproductive healt…
Accepted
Primary care practitioners should be trained to use women’s common interactions with the healthcare system, such as cervical screening appointments, ante- and post-natal care checks and visits to STI clinics, as an opportunity to pick up hidden health concerns relating to reproductive health. (Paragraph 139) Medical guidelines and standards
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Primary care practitioners should be trained to use women’s common interactions with the healthcare system, such as cervical screening appointments, ante- and post-natal care checks and visits to STI clinics, as an opportunity to pick up hidden health concerns relating to reproductive health. (Paragraph 139) Medical guidelines and standards
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Government response AI summary
The government accepts the recommendation, stating work is underway and committing to holding webinars for primary care practitioners, reviewing and updating existing e-learning packages, and referencing 2023 guidance on postnatal checks and the role of women’s health hubs.
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Government Equalities Office
47
Conclusion
1st Report - Women's reproductive healt…
Accepted
Finding the causes of women’s reproductive health conditions and new and better diagnostic tools and treatments for them cannot happen without sufficient research, which includes all groups of women and others affected, at different life stages. Yet research remains lacking because it is not adequately prioritised by funders or commissioners …
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Finding the causes of women’s reproductive health conditions and new and better diagnostic tools and treatments for them cannot happen without sufficient research, which includes all groups of women and others affected, at different life stages. Yet research remains lacking because it is not adequately prioritised by funders or commissioners and is not incentivised enough in clinical academia. While these issues are recognised by the Women’s Health Strategy for England and some positive work is underway, the Government needs to be more ambitious and more targeted approaches are needed. (Paragraph 180) 80
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Government response AI summary
The government fully recognises the importance of funding and building research capacity in women's reproductive health, detailing how NIHR and UKRI fund research and stating that NIHR has invested approximately £258 million over the last five years, a 55% increase. It also highlights the launch …
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Government Equalities Office
49
Recommendation
1st Report - Women's reproductive healt…
Accepted
The Government should allocate increased, ringfenced funding to support research into the causes, diagnosis and treatment of women’s reproductive health conditions. While increased funding will in itself attract more researchers to this area, NHS England and research bodies should also consider what steps they can take to increase interest among …
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The Government should allocate increased, ringfenced funding to support research into the causes, diagnosis and treatment of women’s reproductive health conditions. While increased funding will in itself attract more researchers to this area, NHS England and research bodies should also consider what steps they can take to increase interest among clinical academia. (Paragraph 182) Implementing the Women’s Health Strategy for England
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Government response AI summary
The government recognises the importance of funding and building research capacity in women's reproductive health, detailing how NIHR and UKRI fund research through open competition and training awards. It highlights existing initiatives and examples of current funding, but does not commit to new ringfenced funding.
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Government Equalities Office