Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that female patients that object to being handled by a biologically male nurse who identifies as female are not discriminated against or recorded by the healthcare organisation as being “transphobic”.

Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)

Patients can request care by a professional of a specific gender, and it will be up to the care provider or clinician to respond based on the patient’s needs and staff availability. The Government notes the importance of balancing the rights of different service users in specific contexts and ensuring that decisions taken by service providers are proportionate and patient centred.

The Women’s Health Strategy sets out how we will improve the way in which the health and care system listens to women’s voices and ensure women can access services that meet their health needs across their lives.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Women’s Health Strategy for England published August 2022, whether it is his Department to set out plans for sexual and reproductive health including access and choice for contraception.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

We are committed to improving sexual and reproductive health in England, including improving access and choice for contraception, and are currently considering the need for a further Government plan.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February to Question 138030, when he plans to launch the women’s health area on the NHS website.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

We aim to launch the women’s health area on the National Health Service website before Summer Recess.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans for all Integrated Care Systems to have a women’s health hub.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

We have committed to supporting the expansion of women’s health hubs and are working with partners in the health system to co-produce resources that will support integrated care systems (ICSs) to develop these services. Our expectation is that every ICS will need at least one women’s health hub to provide the level of integrated care that we set out in the Women’s Health Strategy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has for publishing new content on women’s health on the NHS website.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

The minister has written to Parliamentarians to confirm that in the first-year implementation of the Women’s Health Strategy we will create a women’s health area on the National Health Service website.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the best practice resource produced by the Women’s Health Ambassador and other stakeholders on Integrated Care System’s creating women’s health hubs will be available.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

The Department is working with the Women’s Health Ambassador and a range of other partners in the health system to publish co-produced resources by summer 2023 to support integrated care systems in their development of Women’s Health Hubs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2022 to Question 60148 on Health and Social Care, whether officials in his Department have had discussions with NHS digital since transforming women’s health content on the NHS website.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

Officials in the Department have had discussions and are working closely with NHS Digital to transform women’s health content on the National Health Service website.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Integrated Care Systems have women’s health hubs as of 31 January 2023.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

The information requested is not held centrally.

There is no fixed definition of what a hub is. The National Institute for Health and Care Research-funded Birmingham, RAND and Cambridge Evaluation Centre have been commissioned to undertake an evaluation of women’s health hubs. The final report is due to be published in April 2023, however, the interim evaluation report was published in October 2022. The interim evaluation report can be found at the following link:

https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/documents/college-social-sciences/social-policy/brace/whh-interim-summary-paper-final.pdf

The study is looking at what and where Women’s Health Hubs are; their characteristics; and how hubs are working for the women who use them, and the staff working in them.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Women's Health Strategy, whether he has had meetings with stakeholders in mental health on improving healthcare professionals listening to women’s mental health needs since the publication of that strategy.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

Ministers have had no such meetings since the Women’s Health Strategy was published on 20 July 2022.

However, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Mental Health and Women’s Health Strategy met with Professor Dame Lesley Regan, the Women’s Health Ambassador for England, on 20 December 2022 to discuss a range of issues regarding the implementation of the Women’s Health Strategy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Better Health - Every Mind Matters campaign and page 88 of the Women’s Health Strategy, what progress his Department has made on developing tailored content for that initiative on issues which affect women’s mental health since the publication of the women’s health strategy.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has produced classroom resources to support the teaching of mental health topics included in the Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum, including issues which particularly affect girls. OHID has also developed new video content to promote body neutrality which will be distributed via social media channels in 2023.

OHID is also developing new content for the Better Health-Every Mind Matters platform, including information on managing menopause-related mental health problems, which we anticipate will be launched in 2023.

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 ensure that women's (a) concerns and (b) healthcare are prioritised in the NHS.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

The Women’s Health Strategy sets out how we will ensure women’s concerns and healthcare are prioritised.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide an update on the work of the women’s mental health task force.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

Since the publication of the women’s mental health taskforce’s final report in December 2018, the NHS Long Term Plan has committed to develop new and integrated models of primary and community mental health care by 2023/24 to support adults with moderate to severe mental illnesses. This will include personalised gender and trauma-informed care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on the implementation of the pelvic floor registry as referenced in the Women’s Health Strategy.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review report highlighted the need for better data collection on pelvic mesh. NHS Digital has developed a Pelvic Floor Registry to monitor and improve patient safety.

On 12 December we published an update report on Government implementation of the accepted recommendations of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review report, which provides an update on work on pelvic mesh including the pelvic floor registry, available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-medicines-and-medical-devices-safety-review-update-report-on-government-implementation/independent-medicines-and-medical-devices-safety-review-update-report-on-government-implementation

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 66 of the Women’s Health Strategy for England, published in August 2022, whether his Department is taking steps to encourage research on the impact of (a) menstruation and (b) gynaecological conditions on (i) educational outcomes and attainment, (ii) workforce participation and (iii) sickness absence rates.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Subject to receiving high quality applications, the NIHR expects to commission a new policy research unit dedicated to reproductive health. The unit will undertake research to inform policy in areas such as menstruation and gynaecological conditions. The impact of menstruation and gynaecological conditions on educational outcomes and attainment and on workforce participation and sickness absence has been highlighted as a potential research topic for this unit. Applications are currently being reviewed and the unit expected to operate from January 2024.

The UK Menopause Taskforce has considered the evidence base and identified priorities for menopause research, such as the cost of menopause to individuals, employers, the public sector and economy. This will inform a menopause research prioritisation exercise commissioned by the NIHR. This exercise will also consider research recommendations from a range of experts, including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. The exercise began on 5 December 2022 and is expected to conclude in January 2023.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 66 of the Women's Health Strategy for England, published on 30 August 2022, whether his Department has taken steps to encourage research on ways in which services can adapt to the needs of inclusion health groups.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

We are currently considering the approach to the implementation of the Women’s Health Strategy, including on research into the needs of inclusion health groups.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including inclusion health. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Women's Health Strategy for England published 30 August 2022, what progress he been made on the study his Department commissioned on developing and validating a patient-reported outcome measure for patients being treated for pelvic floor disorders to inform clinical effectiveness trial.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR has funded a study to develop and validate a patient-reported outcome measure for those treated for pelvic floor disorders to inform clinical effectiveness trials. The study is expected to commence in February 2023.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the Government will ensure there is synergy between the Women’s Health Strategy and the Sexual and Reproductive Health Action Plan.

Answered by Neil O'Brien

We will set out plans to improve sexual and reproductive health in England in due course, which will be aligned with the Women’s Health Strategy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the NHS has the (a) capacity and (b) funding to deliver on the Women's Health Strategy.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

The Government is investing an additional £3.3 billion in 2023/24 and 2024/25 to support the National Health Service in England and increase capacity.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to engage with the Violence Against Women and Girls sector on the delivery of the Women's Health Strategy.

Answered by Maria Caulfield

The Department and NHS England continue to engage with representatives from the violence against women and girls (VAWG) sector on the delivery of the VAWG commitments in the Women’s Health Strategy.

Found: | 72319 Date tabled: 26 Oct 2022 | Date for answer: 28 Oct 2022 | Date answered: 03 Nov 2022 Health

Found: HC Deb 22 December 2020 | PQ 128919 Health Services: Females Asked by: Brown, Ms Lyn To ask