Recommendation 39

We strongly disagree with the Minister’s argument that further ringfenced funding to support NHS Integrated Care Boards to maintain and develop women’s health hubs is unnecessary. The implementation of women’s health hubs is not complete. There are inconsistencies in provision, they do not cover all areas of the country and not all of those that have been established meet the core specification. Establishing hubs in some places, including more remote areas, has been more challenging because of their rural geography. Yet, where they have been successfully established, they have delivered a substantial improvement in women’s healthcare, providing local treatment, reducing the number of appointments women need to attend, reducing referrals to secondary care and increasing access to long- acting reversible contraception. (Conclusion, Paragraph 157)