Additional funding for women’s health services could provide a direct return on investment for the economy, analysis by NHS Confederation has found.
An additional £1 invested in obstetrics and gynaecology services per woman in England could generate a £319 million return to the economy, the report written in collaboration with Create Health Foundation and London Economics suggested.
It found that absenteeism from work due to painful periods, endometriosis, fibroids and ovarian cysts costs the UK economy nearly £11 billion every year.
It added that around 60,000 women in the UK are unable to work because of the impact of menopause symptoms on their overall physical and mental health. If these women were able to enter employment, earning the average wage of a woman of menopausal age in employment, it could generate an increase in direct economic impact of around £1.5 billion a year.
The authors of the report gave five recommendations, including to allocate ringfenced funding to support ICSs with the women’s health strategy.
Report recommendations
- Allocating ringfenced funding to ICSs to support the remaining eight years of the Women’s Health Strategy for England,
- Distributing additional funding based on regional variations in need,
- Committing to annual increases in public research funding for conditions affecting women differently and disproportionately, as well as those that only affect women,
- Collecting disaggregated data to capture the intersecting inequalities in women’s lives, such as race, socioeconomic status, and ability, making this information publicly available,
- Improving education and training for medical professionals to better address conditions that specifically affect women as well as those that affect men and women differently.
Dr Layla McCay, director of policy at the NHS Confederation said: ‘This report highlights the urgent need for sustainable funding to support the 10-year Women’s Health Strategy for England and women’s health more broadly.
‘The findings demonstrate that investing in women’s health services is not merely a matter of improving health outcomes; there is also an economic imperative that has far-reaching benefits across our society.
‘Investment in women’s health services can yield an estimated return of £11 for every additional £1 spent per woman in England, showcasing the economic viability of such a commitment.
‘By addressing women’s health more effectively, we can alleviate substantial economic burdens, such as absenteeism and lost productivity in the workplace, ultimately benefiting businesses and the economy as a whole. But most importantly these measures would help to ensure that every woman gets the support they deserve when they are faced with health challenges.’
Professor Geeta Nargund, founder of Create Health Foundation and senior NHS consultant said: ‘Our report’s findings are unequivocal; women’s health issues and the disparity in gynaecological care, represent a pressing public health challenge and one that is directly impacting our nation’s economy. Severe period pain alone costs the UK £3.7 billion annually in absenteeism, while severe perimenopause and menopause symptoms are estimated to result in £191.0 million in lost productivity per year.
‘In light of these stark findings, it is imperative that our new government urgently reviews investment to support the Women’s Health Strategy beyond March 2025.’
ICBs are expected to have at least one women’s health hub operating by December 2024, triaging against all core services from the core specification.
Last week, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said those who have been off work due to long-term sickness should be trying to get back to work.
