Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help improve access to menopause support and services in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we reform the National Health Service, and we acknowledge the impact that women suffering from symptoms of menopause has on their lives, relationships, and participation in the workplace.

In Buckinghamshire, a specialist menopause service was launched in August 2025 and was accessible to all Buckinghamshire women via referral from their general practitioner (GP), delivered by telephone as standard to ensure this holistic and patient centred specialist menopause care is delivered close to the patient, in their own home, with face to face provision available where required within GPs across the county.

As announced in October 2025, we will be asking local authorities across the country to include menopause in the NHS Health Check later this year. This will support eligible women across England to access high quality information on the menopause, including advice on managing symptoms, where to seek support, and a diagnosis.

Menopause and menstrual health conditions will be among the priorities for the NHS’s revolutionary new online hospital when it launches next year, providing faster access to specialist care.

On the 15 April 2026, we published the Renewed Women’s Health Strategy which identifies menopause as a core women’s health priority, recognising its impact on women’s health, wellbeing, work, and quality of life.

The strategy shifts menopause care into primary and community settings, including neighbourhood women’s health services and women’s health hubs, making care easier to access and closer to home.

The strategy commits to each region having a specialist centre to support group based approaches to high volume low complexity women’s health pathways such as menopause services, improving access, peer support, and consistency, with early rollout focused on areas of highest need.

The strategy recognises that menopause symptoms are often under recognised and poorly understood, and commits to improving information so women know their symptoms can be effectively managed, including through evidence-based treatments.