Select committee: Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 38
1st Report - Women's reproductive health conditions
Published 11 Dec 2024
Paragraph 138
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 Government should work with the RCOG, RCGP and the GMC to improve the teaching of women’s health at undergraduate level and ensure it is an integral part of medical education for all those seeking a career in healthcare. As part of that work the Government should consider how to better incentivise healthcare professionals to specialise in women’s reproductive health, including making obstetrics and gynaecology a mandatory rotation. This is necessary to address current shortages in this area and to tackle the long waiting lists for gynaecological care. The merits of using of the quality and outcomes framework (QOF) or commissioning for quality and innovation (CQUIN) indicators should be part of its consideration of potential incentives.
From: Women and Equalities Committee, 1st Report - Women's reproductive health conditions (HC 337), paragraph 138, 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.