Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of Public Health England’s document, A consensus statement: reproductive health is a public issue, published on 26 June, what steps they are taking to ensure that reproductive health decision-making is directly informed by women’s voices.

Public Health England (PHE) has created a user reference group made up of women from the community who have experienced severe reproductive health issues in order to ensure actions in the action plan reflect service users’ needs. The action plan is due to be published in March 2019.

PHE has asked women in the user reference group help determine how issues outlined in A consensus statement: reproductive health is a public issue, published on 26 June could be addressed. Solutions suggested by women were then presented to PHE’s task and finish group made up of experts from across the sector including the Department, NHS England, the Local Government Association, the Association of Directors of Public Health, the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health, the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Brook and the Family Planning Association in order to help formulate actions for the action plan. PHE plans to continue this as an iterative process throughout the development, implementation and evaluation of the action plan.