Jersey Survey Highlights Gender Health Disparity, Prompts Calls for Action

A government survey in Jersey indicates that while women on the island have a longer life expectancy than men, they experience a greater duration of poor health. The “women’s health and wellbeing survey,” which gathered input from over 1,500 women and various health professionals, determined that women endured an average of 24 years of poor health, exceeding men by six years. Trudi Roscouet, a campaigner and founder of Vitality 40 Plus, identified a gender health disparity within the island and urged ministers to engage with women to resolve it. In response, Deputy Andy Howell, Assistant Minister for Health and Social Services, noted that the department has implemented beneficial modifications concerning women’s health, such as proposals to reinstate a women’s ward at the hospital. The survey investigated perceived obstacles for women and girls in Jersey regarding their access to health and wellbeing services. The three most frequently cited barriers were financial concerns, challenges in attending scheduled appointments or activities, and the lack of an option to self-refer to specialist care. Ms Roscouet commented: “We all want to see action, there’s no point having a strategy if it’s going to be put into a drawer – we all agree that.” She further added: “But, what we are hoping we are going to see is, if the government has a finite pot of money, it needs to know where and what women want that money to be used for.” Additionally, the survey revealed that women in Jersey experience higher rates of breast and skin cancer compared to England. It also indicated that only 27% of female respondents believed their mental health requirements were being adequately addressed. Howell expressed that she was “shocked” by certain findings from the survey. She stated: “We’ll work together with the women’s political advisory group, we’ll meet in January and we’ll prioritise what we need to do, but while I’m here we’re going to get cracking. “We’re already working on women’s health and we’re doing a lot and we’re going to carry on doing as much as we can.” Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.