Opinion: Women deserve better health care – and we’re determined they will get it

‘Women’s issues’… ‘lady problems’ – so often the health issues affecting half of our population are dismissed into a couple of words.

And for too long, women have not been listened to when it comes to our own bodies.

Indeed, since I was elected, this has become even more evident to me.

I have heard from many women in Norwich stuck on endless gynaecology waiting lists, unable to access the medication they need or being failed by a postcode lottery.

These women deserve better, and I have been raising these issues in Parliament.

Across the country, gynaecology waiting lists reached more than 500,000 under the last Conservative government.

At the N and N last summer, women were waiting on average 25 weeks for appointments.

As I have highlighted in Parliament, at one point, women in Norfolk faced the longest gynaecology waiting lists in England.

This is simply unacceptable because behind those statistics are women living in pain, waiting for diagnoses, or putting their lives on hold while they wait to access treatment.

More than eight in ten women say they have experienced a health professional not listening to them.

We now have a name for this problem: medical misogyny.

As well as ensuring women are actually listened to when it comes to their own health, we must also tackle the deep inequalities that exist within the system.

Currently, the wealthiest women can expect to live around two decades longer in good health than the poorest.

Access to treatment and healthcare should not depend on where you live or your bank balance.

One of the clearest examples is fertility treatment – something I have campaigned on since being elected.

Women in Norfolk are losing out.

The NICE guidelines are clear – women should be offered three NHS-funded treatment cycles, but the reality is a complete postcode lottery.

Where you live dictates how many chances you have to start a family.

While women in Norfolk will only get two cycles of IVF, those in Hampshire only get one and those living in certain parts of London will get the full three.

But there is hope that things are changing.

For a start, women are making their voices heard and it looks like finally, they might be being listened to.

The Labour government’s new landmark Women’s Health Strategy begins with the words “The NHS has a problem with basic, everyday sexism and an appalling culture of medical misogyny.”

It may not sound like it, but this admission is good news.

It means things are finally getting called out.

It means things are finally changing.

In the new strategy, the government has committed to speeding up diagnosis and treatment for heavy periods, gynaecology, and menopause, reducing all waiting times to a maximum 18 weeks.

This will build on the vast improvement which has taken place at the Norfolk and Norwich where 60 per cent of patients are seen in this time frame, up from 40 per cent a year earlier.

Alongside this, other measures include strengthening menstrual health education in schools and community settings so young women better understand their bodies and when to seek care.

The ‘morning-after pill’ will also be free at all pharmacies and new standards introduced to identify menopausal symptoms earlier.

And for the first time, women’s voices will play a role in shaping care.

The new Patient Power Payment will mean that the amount of money NHS Trusts receive will depend upon women’s feedback on their experiences.

Broader NHS reforms, emphasising prevention, moving care closer to communities, and hiring more than 2,000 GPs will also offer huge benefits to women across the country.

There is also brilliant pioneering work to build on.

That includes right here in Norwich, where world-first research into treating endometriosis is taking place.

There is still a long way to go, but the women’s health strategy is a massive step towards gender and health equality.

And as a party, we are leading the way on this.

Whilst the Conservatives did develop a women’s health strategy, results were not delivered, under their watch waiting lists soared.

Then look at Reform, would you really trust a party with women’s health when one of their stated policies is to scrap the Equality Act which protects mothers and pregnant women against discrimination?

Labour, in contrast, is determined to change the status quo that has been accepted for too long.

We will not accept a system where women wait in pain, where their concerns are dismissed, where healthcare depends on your postcode, or where poorer women live significantly shorter healthy lives.

We believe that it is time, not only for us to talk about solving women’s health problems, but to actually fix them.

*Alice MacDonald is Labour MP for Norwich North