Training for primary care practitioners on women’s health is ‘crucial’, according to the government.
In its response to the Women and Equalities Committee report on medical misogyny in women’s health, the government recognised that women and girls face challenges to accessing care for their reproductive health and that more needs to be done to support those with reproductive health conditions.
It agreed with the overarching recommendations for improving women’s health outcomes and experiences, published in the report in December. This included the committee’s conclusion that more training was needed to improve diagnosis and care of women’s reproductive health conditions.
It said: ‘We recognise that much more needs to be done to support women with reproductive health conditions, particularly around listening to women, improving information and education, improving access to healthcare services.’
On the recommendation that primary care practitioners be trained to use women’s common interactions with healthcare to pick up hidden health concerns, it added: ‘We recognise it is crucial that primary care practitioners have the appropriate training to enable them to pick up on, and support, women’s hidden health concerns.
‘All 42 integrated care systems (ICSs) in England have a regional training hub that supports GPs and primary care networks by advising on, developing, delivering and procuring education and training.’
It suggested NHS England was planning to hold webinars for primary care practitioners that will include ways to promote opportunistic reproductive healthcare.
On women’s health hubs, the government added that it had ‘no plans to close them’ and that NHS England is developing an equity framework for ICBs to support reduction in inequalities in access and outcomes. This will have an initial focus on menopause and heavy menstrual bleeding.
‘Women’s health hubs are likely to play a significant role in the implementation of the framework,’ it added.
Chair of the WEC and Labour MP, Sarah Owen, said: ‘The committee welcomes the government’s response to its report on women’s reproductive health conditions. We will keep a close eye on developments and will return to the issue in 12 months’ time to assess progress on all our recommendations.
‘There are areas where the Government could have gone further, including in relation to period products and on the Employment Rights Bill. The report recommended Clause 26 of the Employment Rights Bill should be amended to make clear that supporting women with reproductive health conditions falls under the definition of advancing gender equality. The committee wants to see tangible improvements in the management of women’s pain during elective procedures.
‘As the government acknowledges, women suffering with gynaecological conditions have been “failed for far too long” and it is imperative that progress is made across the board on diagnosis, education and awareness, accessing support and treatment, pain of investigation, plus training and standards.’
It comes as the King’s Fund has suggested both primary and secondary care need to address the barriers that contribute to ethnic differences in access to women’s services, diagnosis and management of ill health.
In a report on the health of women from ethnic minority groups in England, it said some women from ethnic minority groups face obstacles to accessing healthcare due to the way the services are structured.
‘This includes language barriers, lack of interpreters, services that are not culturally competent and poor health literacy,’ it said.
It suggested that improving the coverage and quality of ethnicity coding in GP and NHS records by asking women to self-report their ethnicity would help.
‘Improving health outcomes, reducing ethnic inequalities, and planning and delivering services tailored to diverse health needs is contingent on being able to measure health care needs, access to and outcomes of health care reliably across different ethnic groups,’ it added.
