In June 2021, the Department of Health & Social Care opened a call for evidence to inform their Women’s Health Strategy. In the ministerial foreword, issues such as underrepresentation in clinical trials for women and pregnant women, maternity inequalities, disparities made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic were all highlighted.
In our formal submission, we recommended that the strategy include the principle that research, healthcare and the workplace have a responsibility to adapt for women – not the other way around. We also emphasised the importance of terminology, that there has been less funding for women’s health research, and the significance of education e.g. encouraging a review of education at UK medical schools, at postgraduate levels and of CPD/lifelong learning.
Read our full submission.
Read the new DHSC policy paper 'Our Vision for the Women's Health Strategy for England' based on the results from the call for evidence. The new strategy is expected in late 2022.