Women’s Health Hubs Recommended for Northern Ireland, Citing Broad Societal Benefits

England’s Women’s Health Ambassador advocates for the establishment of specialized women’s health hubs in Northern Ireland. These facilities are presently being implemented throughout England as part of its Women’s Health Strategy, which commenced in 2022. Dame Lesley Regan described these “one-stop shops” as providing access to services such as gynaecology and menopause care, noting that they lead to fewer hospital admissions, are economically efficient, and enable women to continue their daily lives. The Department of Health stated its ongoing development of a women’s health action plan, which will “outline the actions” feasible over the next three years to enhance women’s health outcomes. In an interview with BBC News NI, Dame Lesley indicated that facilitating easy access to services for women prevented “an enormous amount of disease from developing” and “women becoming seriously ill.” BBC News NI conducted interviews with healthcare professionals and patients at a hub located in Tower Hamlets, London. Dame Lesley, a key figure in the development of the hub model, asserted that women’s health is crucial for society. She stated, “When you get it right for women, everybody else benefits and that is a fact, so when you get things rights for women you get happier families and the whole of society benefits.” Kate reported experiencing multiple gynaecological problems that impacted her domestic and professional life. She commented that having a facility that prioritized her health needs was very beneficial, and commuting to the hub posed no difficulty. “To have it dealt with very quickly and professionally just gave me my health back basically, which is everything,” she remarked. Kate received an appointment with a menopause specialist within weeks of her initial request. Both Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and counselling services were available at a single location. Consultant Rehan Khan noted that despite the initial challenges in establishing the hub, waiting list data demonstrates its value, indicating they are beginning to “win the battle.” Dr. Kahn added, “What really hits home, is when we talk to individual women – they are telling us that no one has listened to them for so long.” He continued, “They are telling us that they are so glad that they could get care quickly and they are telling us that they’ll come back.” Beyond shortening waiting lists, the hub’s objective is to decrease the volume of women referred to hospitals. Under the previous system, general practitioner referrals to specialized clinics led to advice for 15% of patients and hospital appointments for 85%. Recent data indicates that 34% of patients received advice, 38% were directed to community-based Women’s Health Hub clinics, and 26% were sent to hospital-based gynaecology clinics. A report published in 2024 by the NHS Confederation, Create Health Foundation, and London Economics presents an economic justification for investment in women’s health services. The report posits that an extra £1 invested per woman in obstetrics and gynaecology services in England could yield an approximate £319m economic return. Work absenteeism attributed to severe and painful periods, endometriosis, fibroids, and ovarian cysts incurs an annual cost of almost £11bn for the UK economy. Approximately 60,000 women across the UK are unable to work due to the effects of menopause symptoms on their general physical and mental well-being. The analysis suggests that if these women were to join the workforce, earning the average wage for a woman of menopausal age, this could result in an annual direct economic impact increase of £1.5bn. Dame Lesley stated her belief that Northern Ireland cannot afford to be without these hubs. She explained, “They are so cost effective in solving so many problems and stopping them at an early stage, which prevents them becoming more complex and costing even more money.” The Derry Well Women Centre is participating in a survey designed to inquire about women’s health requirements. This survey, intended to inform the development of future services, receives support from Queen’s University, the Royal College of Midwives, and the Department of Health. Dr. Sandra McNeill, a board member, observed that women frequently consult multiple health professionals, but a single-location service could accelerate diagnosis and reduce expenses. She commented, “We can wrap our services around women without spending additional money – it is about realigning the services with the money we have.” Dr. Janet Barter serves as a menopause specialist and the lead at Tower Hamlets Women’s Health Hub. She asserted that patients and clinicians would find Northern Ireland’s gynaecology hospital waiting lists, which are the longest in the UK, unacceptable. She added, “It must be very distressing for the women who have to wait and for the doctors and the nurses.” At the Tower Hamlets hub, women can undergo a scan and a biopsy on the same day and discuss their results with a professional within 12 hours. Dr. Barter indicated that achieving this requires the health service to proactively train a workforce, including GPs, hospital doctors, and physiotherapists, to ensure future service operation. In a released statement, the Department of Health confirmed that its developing women’s health action plan will emphasize “in progress” policy and service initiatives and detail actions “that can be delivered within current resources over the next three years to improve health services and outcomes for women.” The department cited the women’s health hub at Daisy Hill Hospital and services at the Causeway Hospital’s Meadows Unit as instances of health trusts’ dedication to gynaecology and early pregnancy services. It further stated that regional trust structures and the forthcoming action plan are expected to aid in enhancing and developing services up to 2025, “subject to available staff capacity and resources.” This article underwent an amendment on 2 December to correct a contributor’s name. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding its approach to external linking is available.