Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 15
15
Deferred
Mandate NHS practitioners to stay updated and address regional disparities in reproductive health treatments.
Conclusion
The NHS must take steps to ensure healthcare practitioners keep up to date with the full range of diagnostic and treatment options available for reproductive health conditions. Those options, as well as waiting times and potential outcomes of surgical procedures and non-invasive alternatives, should be communicated to patients as a matter of course to allow informed, shared decision making. The NHS should identify and address any regional disparities in the availability of particular treatments and support. (Paragraph 66) 74 Pain of investigation
Government response summary AI-generated
The government did not address the recommendation for healthcare practitioners to keep up to date on treatment options, communicate these to patients, or address regional disparities. Instead, it focused on the problematic use of the term 'benign gynaecology', committing that NHS England is working with lived experience individuals and will review internal information using this term.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
The government is committed to ensuring that women receive comprehensive, up-to-date information about diagnostic and treatment options for reproductive health conditions. Healthcare professionals are expected to provide women with detailed information ahead of any surgical procedure, enabling them to make informed decisions about their care. This includes discussing: the full range of options available waiting times the outcomes of surgical procedures non-invasive alternatives Women should also have the opportunity to discuss pain relief options, including local or general anaesthetic and alternative treatments such as pelvic ultrasound, where available. These conversations should be undertaken using a shared decision-making approach that ensures individuals are supported to make decisions that are right for them. NHS England has published a summary guide on the use of shared decision-making . These discussions and approach: ensure that women understand what to expect help women explore the relative benefits and disadvantages of available treatments promote informed decision-making ensure that care is tailored to individual needs and preferences All healthcare professionals are required to undertake continuing professional development ( CPD ) and maintain up-to-date knowledge of new diagnostic and treatment options. Their scope of practice is overseen by: professional accreditation schemes employer appraisals professional obligations to stay current in their field While not all healthcare professionals specialise in women’s health, women’s health hubs provide a higher level of expertise and care. These hubs allow women to have in-depth discussions about their options prior to procedures and ensure access to specialist knowledge. By reducing regional variation in the quality of information and care provided, women’s health hubs are helping to address disparities and improve outcomes regardless of a woman’s initial point of access.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗