UK Warns Against ‘Half Measures’ in Women’s Health Strategy

The UK Parliament’s Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) has issued a strong warning against what it describes as “financial half measures” in addressing women’s health, following the Government’s formal response to its latest report. 

The findings come alongside renewed scrutiny of how menstrual and gynaecological conditions are managed within the NHS and wider healthcare reforms in England. 

The response highlights both progress and continuing gaps in policy ambition.

Financial half measures in women’s health

The WEC has raised concerns that the menstrual and gynaecological needs of young women and girls have not been sufficiently prioritised in wider healthcare reforms. 

This position was set out in its March report, which accompanied the Government’s renewed Women’s Health Strategy published in April. 

The Committee’s findings build on its 2024 “medical misogyny” report, which highlighted serious concerns about how women’s reproductive health conditions are treated. 

It found that conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis and heavy menstrual bleeding are frequently “normalised” in clinical settings. 

It also reported that women often have their symptoms and pain “dismissed” when seeking medical help. 

“WEC’s 2024 ‘medical misogyny’ report warned 18 months ago of women in unnecessary pain and undiagnosed for years and called on the Government to recognise the benefits of increased investment in early diagnosis and treatment,” says Sarah Owen, Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee and Labour MP, in an official statement.

“Our follow up report this March cautioned girls’ and women’s health are not being sufficiently prioritised in system-wide NHS reforms, while initiatives which have proven to be successful in reducing waiting lists and improving women’s healthcare access, such as women’s health hubs, risked being scaled back or discontinued.

“While it’s welcome to see a focus on tackling ‘medical misogyny’ in April’s renewed Women’s Health Strategy and an emphasis on women’s voices being heard, this must be backed by adequate funding, not financial half measures, particularly when compared to men’s health.”

Across both reports, MPs called for increased investment in early diagnosis and treatment, as well as additional funding to improve support for millions of women experiencing these conditions. 

Renewed strategy commitments

In response to the WEC report, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) set out a range of actions aimed at improving women’s health services. 

These include reducing gynaecology waiting times, improving access to contraception for menstrual healthcare and ensuring procedures are carried out with full consent and adequate pain relief. 

The Government also published its response as a command paper on 26 May, outlining how these actions align with WEC recommendations. 

The response included a clear statement of agreement from ministers, who said:

“The government agrees with the committee's overarching findings and recommendations for improving women's health outcomes and experiences.

“We acknowledge the impact that menstrual health conditions can have on women's lives, relationships and participation in education and the workforce. We recognise that more needs to be done to support women with menstrual health conditions, particularly around listening to women, improving information and education and enhancing patient experience.”

The response also highlights ongoing work under the renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England to improve women’s access to care and service delivery outcomes. 

“Significant questions remain following today’s response publication over the adequacy of investment being provided, including for workforce training, menstrual health education in schools, research and additional ring-fenced funding for women’s health hubs to deliver services within the emerging neighbourhood health framework,” says Sarah.

“There are both opportunities and risks when it comes to increasing use of technology in women’s healthcare. 

“As the Committee’s report set out, social media companies should be held to account for inappropriate and disgraceful ‘shadow banning’ censorship of important women's health content and there should be a rigorous approach to tackling the risks from ineffective, unsafe and exploitative for-profit FemTech apps. 

“The Government should take the problem of ‘shadow banning’ more seriously.”

Gaps and funding concerns

Despite the Government’s response, the WEC has highlighted several areas where it believes commitments remain insufficient or unclear. 

These include the absence of commitments to increase the provision of school nurses, as well as a lack of measurable targets for addressing online misinformation. 

The Committee also noted no new commitments on preventing censorship of women’s online health content. 

Further concerns were raised about the lack of action on tackling racial discrimination and the specific menstrual health needs of young disabled and Deaf women. 

The report itself included 26 recommendations directed at the Government and NHS England, covering menstrual health education, workforce training, access to care and accountability in service delivery. 

It also identified systemic issues affecting outcomes, including stigma around menstruation, inadequate education, limited workforce training and empathy, poor pain management and long gynaecology waiting lists. 

Additional scrutiny has been added by analysis from The Times, which reported that Government funding for men’s health strategy is 60% higher than for the renewed women’s health strategy. 

“A strategy which does not fully address the concerns set out in WEC’s report, alongside measurable actions and timescales, will only scratch the surface of the issues facing women’s health,” concludes Sarah.

“WEC will keep a close eye on progress and continue to push for long overdue tangible change for women and girls.”