Ministerial foreword – Nadine Dorries
As Minister of State in the Department of Health and Social Care, one of my key priorities is women’s health. Throughout my time as Minister, it has become clear that there are some key themes which cut across different areas of women’s health, and on which we must take action. We know that damaging taboos and stigmas remain around many areas of women’s health, which can prevent women from starting conversations about their health or seeking support for a health issue. When women do speak about their health, all too often, they are not listened to. Independent reports and inquiries – not least the First do no harm report and the Paterson Inquiry report – have found that it is often women who the healthcare system fails to keep safe and fails to listen to. We absolutely must change this. In order to tackle taboos and ensure that women’s voices are heard, I firmly believe that the provision of high-quality information and education is imperative. To give an example, the average diagnosis time for a condition as common as endometriosis is 7 to 8 years; it greatly saddens me to read how so many women think – or worse, are told – that the debilitating pain and symptoms they are experiencing are ‘normal’ or ‘imagined’ and they must live with it. The department and the government have taken a number of important steps in this area. For example, to support work on the government’s commitment to make the NHS the best place in the world to give birth, in September 2020, I established a Maternity Inequalities Oversight Forum. This forum brings together experts from key stakeholders to consider and address the inequalities for women and babies from different ethnic backgrounds and socio-economic groups. Despite the progress that is being made, I am clear we can do more. I believe there is an opportunity to take a much more holistic approach to women’s health across the life course, focusing on prevention and better integration of services. The government’s integration and innovation white paper and our public health reforms will set the direction for a greater focus on integrated, person-centred care and prevention. We must ensure that this work delivers for women. Women’s input into society and particularly into our health and social care system has always been vital, but I would argue never more so than now. 77% of the NHS workforce and 82% of the social care workforce are women, and throughout the pandemic women have been on the front line ensuring that people receive the health and care they need. Investing in all aspects of women’s health, including within the workplace, is essential to women’s ability to reach their full potential and contribute to the communities in which they live. We have seen both negative consequences and positive outcomes from this pandemic. It is, for instance, providing momentum for innovative new ways to deliver services. One of my key priorities is to improve research and evidence into women’s health, and to finally tackle the gender data gap that still exists. If we have good evidence, we can identify the health and care needs of women; if we have good evidence, we can begin to identify what will work best for women in order to support improvements in women’s health. That is why we are embarking on the first Women’s Health Strategy for England, with the ambition of improving health and wellbeing of women across the country. We are launching this call for evidence to listen to women’s priorities. We are also extending this opportunity to organisations, researchers, academics and clinicians who can provide further expertise. Importantly, by directly calling on women, we are re-setting the way in which the government understands women’s health, with a renewed focus on listening to women’s voices. I encourage you to contribute to this call for evidence – by responding, you can make your voice heard and play a vital part in shaping England’s first Women’s Health Strategy. Nadine Dorries MP