Recommendation 1

HM Government Accepted in Part

1. The government accepts this recommendation in principle. Menopause public health campaign 2. As set out in the Women’s Health Strategy, the government’s ambitions are that everyone is educated about the menopause from an early age, and that women going through the perimenopause and menopause can recognise symptoms and know their options, including self-care and where to seek support. The strategy also sets out our ambitions for healthcare professionals to be better educated on the menopause and for employers to be well-equipped to support their workforce. 3. The government understands the value of information provision and campaigns to educate the nation on the menopause. We are pleased to update that there is already much work underway or planned across government and beyond to raise awareness of the menopause. 4. We are currently developing a communications plan for the introduction of the HRT pre-payment certificate (PPC). This will be introduced from April 2023, subject to consultation with the professional bodies which is still ongoing. Further detail on the HRT PPC is set out in the response to recommendation 4. 5. In 2022, we published the government response to the independent menopause and the workplace report, commissioned by the then Minister for Employment through the DWP 50PLUS Roundtable. In this, the government accepted the recommendation for a collaborative, employer-led communications campaign on the menopause. This will be spearheaded by the Menopause Employment Champion once appointed, and we anticipate that the Menopause Employment Champion will work closely with the Women’s Health Ambassador, Professor Dame Lesley Regan. For further details see the response to recommendation 6. 6. The NHS England National Menopause Care Improvement Programme is working to improve clinical care for menopause in England. This programme launched in 2021 and is developing optimal care pathways aligned with the recommendations set out in NICE guideline on menopause diagnosis and management5, which represents best practice in menopause care. 7. One of the programme’s aims is to raise awareness of the menopause. The following pieces of work are currently underway to support this aim: i. Behaviour change market research to identify the best way of conveying menopause messages to different groups of women. ii. Promotion of a self-care factsheet6 to empower women to understand and self-manage their perimenopause and menopause, and to point them towards further sources of credible good information. iii. Development of a decision support tool to support women’s understanding of their symptoms and appropriate treatment options to support discussion with clinicians. 8. Within this work, there is a focus on ensuring that care pathways and resources are accessible to and support those from different backgrounds and experiences. An engagement group with public and patient involvement is being established to support this work. The programme is also working to raise awareness and educate healthcare professionals. Further detail is set out in the response to recommendation 2. 9. Furthermore, the Women’s Health Strategy commits to transforming the NHS website into a world-class, first port of call for women’s health information. This will include improving existing pages on women’s health to ensure they contain the most up-to-date evidence and advice, improving signposting to trusted third party sources, and adding new pages where content is needed. The menopause page on the NHS website has recently been updated to include the most up-to-date, evidence-based information on menopause. This includes information about symptoms, where to seek treatment, lifestyle changes that may help with symptoms and signposting to other helpful resources. 10. Therefore, while government recognises the potential value of a public health campaign, at this stage there is already much work underway or planned to raise awareness and educate individuals, healthcare professionals and employers. 11. It is also important to consider the wider picture of menopause care and Hormone Replacement Treatment (HRT) supply when considering the timing of any awareness-raising initiatives. The necessary tools need to be in place so that women receive the best care possible when seeking support for menopausal symptoms—for example, work to educate healthcare professionals and develop factsheets and decision support tools. The government is also continuing work with industry to stabilise and boost HRT supply, and it is important to ensure resilience within the supply chain to support any public health campaigns. 12. We are already seeing an increase in demand for HRT as individuals are more aware of the menopause, its symptoms, and available treatment options. A key aim of the Women’s Health Ambassador is to raise awareness of women’s health issues and tackle taboos and stigmas that surround women’s health. We will continue to use our channels to promote greate