Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 39
39
Accepted
Train primary care practitioners to identify hidden reproductive health concerns during routine interactions.
Recommendation
Primary care practitioners should be trained to use women’s common interactions with the healthcare system, such as cervical screening appointments, ante- and post-natal care checks and visits to STI clinics, as an opportunity to pick up hidden health concerns relating to reproductive health. (Paragraph 139) Medical guidelines and standards
Government Response Summary
The government accepts the recommendation, stating work is underway and committing to holding webinars for primary care practitioners, reviewing and updating existing e-learning packages, and referencing 2023 guidance on postnatal checks and the role of women’s health hubs.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
We recognise the opportunities for making every contact count across the health system, in line with best practice. The suggested contact points are delivered in a range of settings by a range of healthcare professionals. Work is already underway to maximise these routine contact points. NHS England is planning to hold webinars for primary care practitioners, which will incorporate joined-up ways to promote opportunistic reproductive healthcare. Existing e-learning training packages will be reviewed as part of this recommendation and updated content incorporated to ensure alignment with this approach. In 2023, NHS England published guidance for GPs on the 6 to 8-week maternal postnatal check. The focus of these appointments is wide-ranging but includes reproductive health issues including contraception and pelvic floor health, as well as wider health promotion. These interactions provide an opportunity to address reproductive health concerns in a targeted way. More broadly, where women’s health hubs are in place, they provide an educational and supportive role to primary care, embedding public health functions within their local population footprint. They play a key role in areas such as: • preconception care • contraception • cervical screening We will consider what else we can do to maximise routine contact points with health and wider public services.