'i'm Not Being Listened To' - New Health Plan Launched As Women Say They Are Still Ignored

Zoe Trafford often had to play nan domiciled of agony aunt to her customers. But nan hairdresser successful Liverpool told nan BBC location came a constituent erstwhile nan roles had to beryllium reversed - nan customers successful her salon had to alternatively perceive to her problems.

Zoe has had endometriosis, which tin origin terrible symptom and dense bleeding, since she was a teenager. For years, doctors told her she conscionable had bad periods.

She first said to BBC News successful 2022, erstwhile a women's wellness strategy for England was published by nan Conservative government.

"You'll beryllium alright, it's conscionable normal," she said doctors would show her. "But it's not normal – I don't deliberation being successful symptom is normal."

The 2022 strategy promised to "radically improve" really nan wellness and attraction strategy engaged pinch and listened to each women and girls, and to boost wellness outcomes.

Four years on, that strategy for improving women's healthcare is being updated by a Labour government.

For Zoe, life has changed dramatically since past - and not for nan better. She has had awesome room - her womb and portion of her bowel person been removed, and she now has to drain her ain bladder utilizing a mini tube.

She still feels she is not being heard.

"I'm not being listened to. Basically, I've had nan room but I'm having much and much complications," she says.

Zoe has had to springiness up hairdressing because nan symptom of opinionated is excessively overmuch to bear. Meanwhile, there's much endless waiting.

"I'm being passed from from urology to 'gynae' backmost to nan GP, and it's conscionable for illustration I'm successful a vicious circle, and nary 1 seems to cognize what to do pinch maine now," Zoe says.

'The strategy is failing women'

The updated type of nan strategy comes against a backdrop of disapproval that women's voices are often ignored and marginalised by nan NHS.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting says immoderate women person been made to consciousness for illustration "second people citizens" pinch their symptom treated "as an inconvenience and their symptoms arsenic an overreaction".

"It's clear nan strategy is failing women," he says.

That's borne retired by nan immense emergence successful nan number of women now waiting for gynaecological procedures successful England.

BBC study shows that betwixt February 2020 and January 2026, those figures doubled - expanding to much than half a cardinal (565,000).

For each different planned curen (excluding intelligence health) waiting lists person risen excessively - but not by arsenic overmuch (58%).

Among nan caller measures announced by nan authorities is simply a caller "patient powerfulness payment" scheme. The authorities says this will alteration women to springiness feedback and study their experiences of treatment. Based connected that, money will beryllium allocated to areas needing improvement, and providers getting antagonistic feedback could suffer funding.

Gynaecology has been selected for nan first proceedings of nan scheme. In future, it could beryllium extended to different wellness conditions.

There is besides going to beryllium a streamlined process for referral to due clinicians pinch nan purpose of cutting down agelong waits for treatment.

And a caller modular of attraction will beryllium introduced to guarantee women are offered due symptom alleviation for invasive gynaecological procedures.

Dr Alison Wright, president of nan Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, welcomed nan strategy but said, contempt authorities commitments connected waiting lists, "the image for women remains profoundly concerning".

"With complete 565,000 women still waiting for gynaecological care, location is simply a clear opportunity to embed Women's Health Hubs wrong nan neighbourhood wellness model," she said.

The Royal Osteoporosis Society questioned nan strategy, saying location is still nary nationalist scheme for master services for nan information - which affects half of women complete 50 and leaves them astatine consequence of hep fractures - contempt an earlier authorities commitment.

Dr Sarah Jarvis, a GP and ambassador for nan Royal Osteoporosis Society, said astir 2,000 lives were astatine liking each twelvemonth "without a clear plan".

A caller strategy was "desperately needed", Emma Cox, main executive of Endometriosis UK, said. She said test times of much than 9 years for endometeriosis were "totally unacceptable".

"These commitments must beryllium matched pinch a clear roadmap for delivery, including ensuring nan basal resources and capacity," she said.

The Scottish authorities precocious published shape 2 of a women's wellness plan, which was first launched successful 2021. This includes transforming services to guarantee women and girls person timely entree to gynaecological care.

The Welsh authorities launched a Women's Health Plan successful 2024 aiming to "close nan gender wellness spread by providing amended wellness services for women".

In Northern Ireland, authorities person been processing a Women's Health Action Plan.