Recommendation 8

HM Government · verbatim extract Accepted

We must ensure high-quality health information and signposting is available for everyone across the country. We know that many women access health information through online sources, including the NHS website and social media, as well as through family and friends, and healthcare professionals. The NHS website is designed to provide accurate, clinically assured guidance across a broad range of health topics, helping people understand their health and determine next steps for managing it. A dedicated Women’s health area has been created on the NHS website, bringing together over 100 topics related to women’s health and providing easily accessible guidance to support women at every stage of life. Topics include a range of women’s reproductive health issues, including: menstrual health gynaecological conditions contraception pregnancy and menopause It also includes information on other health issues that may affect women, including: dementia heart health mental health cancers While the website does not offer a triage service or diagnose conditions, it directs people to appropriate services such as 111 (online or telephone), pharmacies or their GP practice, where people can discuss their specific symptoms and be signposted to services or receive the care they need. A core responsibility of the NHS website is ensuring that all content is clear, evidence-based and accessible to everyone. In line with the NHS website’s agreed approach, content is focused on being clear and easily translatable by translation tools chosen by individuals. While the NHS does not clinically assure information produced in alternative language formats, this approach ensures the original content remains accurate and reliable while enabling translation. NHS England is exploring how best to link to additional resources from the NHS website, such as support services and charities, where further information would be helpful. For example, the updated page on endometriosis includes links to charities, online communities and support services, providing women with further guidance and support. Women’s health hubs are critical to delivering tailored, specialist care to local populations. Women’s health hubs provide condition and treatment-specific information alongside clinical care, enabling shared decision making. Provision of information is one of the primary aims of women’s health hubs as set out in the Women’s health hubs: core specification . While not all information can be provided in every language, local areas are responsible for ensuring accessible information is available in the most common languages spoken within their communities. DHSC and NHS England encourage local areas to share good practice and resources through the network of women’s health champions and the FutureNHS platform. Over financial years 2023 to 2024 and 2024 to 2025, £25 million of funding was provided to local systems to develop women’s health hubs as a proof of concept. Integrated care boards ( ICBs ) are responsible for commissioning services that meet the healthcare needs of their local population and have the freedom to do so - this includes women’s health hubs. We continue to engage with and encourage ICBs to use the learning from the women’s health hubs pilots to improve local delivery of services to women.