Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 11
11
Accepted
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Implement urgent NHS training challenging racial biases to improve reproductive healthcare in primary care.
Recommendation
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.
Government Response 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 earlier diagnoses.
Paragraph Reference:
54
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government recognises that raising awareness of reproductive ill health is crucial to improving people’s experiences of care and ensuring that no one feels that their pain is dismissed, regardless of ethnicity or socio-cultural situation or belief. In terms of treatment and diagnosis, NHS England’s plan on reforming elective care for patients (linked in 'Introduction' above) sets out how the NHS will reform elective care services and meet the 18-week referral-to-treatment standard by March 2029. This will mean earlier diagnoses and treatment. However, we know that women are not always listened to when they first seek care – and that some groups experience this even more acutely. Racial biases in how care is delivered are not acceptable. We are committed to addressing racial biases and ensuring that all individuals experiencing pain are believed and supported to access treatment quickly. To address this, and to help GPs and other primary healthcare professionals develop their awareness of reproductive health conditions, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has created a Women's Health Library. This contains educational resources including e-learning modules and guidelines on women’s health that are relevant to GPs and other primary healthcare professionals. It brings together: • national guidance • resources produced and accredited by RCGP • resources from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH)