Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 49
49
Accepted
Allocate increased ringfenced funding for research into women’s reproductive health and boost clinical academia interest.
Recommendation
The Government should allocate increased, ringfenced funding to support research into the causes, diagnosis and treatment of women’s reproductive health conditions. While increased funding will in itself attract more researchers to this area, NHS England and research bodies should also consider what steps they can take to increase interest among clinical academia. (Paragraph 182) Implementing the Women’s Health Strategy for England
Government Response Summary
The government recognises the importance of funding and building research capacity in women's reproductive health, detailing how NIHR and UKRI fund research through open competition and training awards. It highlights existing initiatives and examples of current funding, but does not commit to new ringfenced funding.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), which is the research delivery arm of DHSC, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The government fully recognises: • the importance of funding research into the causes, diagnosis and treatment of women’s reproductive health conditions • the need to build research capacity in this area Through NIHR, the government is undertaking a range of initiatives to increase investment in research into women’s reproductive health conditions. NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into women’s reproductive health conditions. NIHR funding is available through open competition, and we encourage researchers to submit applications in these areas. The Health Research Classification System (HCRS) is a bespoke system for classifying biomedical and health research across all areas of health and disease, which has been used by UK health research funders and internationally since 2004. NIHR uses the recognised classification of ‘Reproductive health and childbirth’ as an indicator for spend on women’s health. NIHR is committed to improving the data landscape surrounding women’s health, and is working to conceptualise and curate a portfolio of NIHR-funded research that is relevant to women's health. This work includes conditions that women experience differently from – or more commonly than – men, so is not limited to the causes, diagnosis and treatment of women’s reproductive health conditions. The NIHR considers that this approach: • maximises funding for research of high scientific quality • is impactful for patients and the public • is deliverable within the health and care system • offers value for money In the last 5 years (financial years 2019 to 2020, and 2023 to 2024), NIHR has invested approximately £258 million into research on reproductive health and childbirth, as classified by the HRCS. This figure reflects a 55% increase in investment from £42,820,393 in financial year 2019 to 2020 to £66,245,386 in financial year 2023 to 2024. NIHR also funds a £3 million Policy Research Unit in Reproductive Health, which launched in January 2024. For example, NIHR is funding a qualitative study into patient and healthcare professionals' experiences of management, diagnosis and treatment of endometriosis. The findings from this research will be used to: • support patients • inform healthcare professionals • shape health services to improve care journeys The NIHR Academy welcomes applications for training awards from members of the clinical and non-clinical academic workforce who are conducting research into any aspect of human health, including women’s reproductive health. For example, in the most recent round of doctoral fellowships, 3 awards were on reproductive health, continuing to grow the pipeline of clinical academics specialised in this field. UKRI’s Medical Research Council (MRC) supports the best scientific research to improve human health. Women’s reproductive health research features across the entire MRC portfolio, with work ranging from molecular-level science to public health medicine. For example, UKRI awarded £331,903 to Professor Susan Pickard, University of Liverpool, for 24 months (2023 to 2025) to study the medical, social and cultural dimensions of minority ethnic women’s experience of menopause to provide guidance to aid healthcare interventions.