Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department uses low levels of engagement around menstrual health services as a criterion used to determine in which areas women’s health hubs should be introduced.
Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services that meet the health needs of their local population. However, one of our priorities for the first year of the Women's Health Strategy is to encourage commissioners and providers across England to consider adopting these models of care.
We recently announced a £25 million investment over the next two years to accelerate the development of women’s health hubs. More information on delivery of the funding will be announced in due course and the hub models that are subsequently adopted will need to be tailored to meet local women’s needs. Our expectation, however, is that hubs will improve access and quality of care for services for menstrual problems, contraception, pelvic pain, menopause care and more. In addition, the Department will be publishing a package of resources in July to support local systems in their development of women’s health hubs.