Select committee: Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 11
1st Report - Women's reproductive health conditions
Published 11 Dec 2024
Paragraph 54
Addressed to Government Equalities Office
Women and Equalities Committee Women's reproductive health conditions All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
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.
From: Women and Equalities Committee, 1st Report - Women's reproductive health conditions (HC 337), paragraph 54, 11 December 2024
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 5 March 2025 (deadline 11 February 2025).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government "welcomes" the Committee's report on women's reproductive health conditions and says its response details its position on the recommendations and the work it is doing so that "everyone receives the care that they deserve".
- The government says it recognises "how important this topic is" and is grateful to those who contributed to the inquiry.
- It states that, despite reproductive health conditions being "very common", women and girls "still face challenges accessing care".
- It lists issues the report highlights, including a lack of awareness of what a 'normal' period is, delayed diagnoses, and the need for more research.
- It also lists the importance of education and continued professional development for healthcare professionals among the issues the report highlights.