Mims Davies MP speaks on the Women's Health Strategy in Chamber as Shadow Minister for Women
Mims asked the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care if he will make a statement on the Women’s Health Strategy.
Following Health Minister Karin Smyth's claim in the Chamber it is “fake news” to suggest women’s health hubs face being closed or cut by the Government, Mims has said:
"Labour's manifesto said they would ‘prioritise women’s health’ but it is now clear this Labour government in reality are going to erase women from their health strategy.
It is shameful the Health Secretary's update to NHS England's guidance to Parliament today has not one use of the terms ‘woman’, ‘women’, ‘female’ and ‘girl’. Again leaving over 50% of the population both unheard and in pain.
The last Conservative Government took direct action, crucially listened to women’s experiences, and were delivering on a mission to change all of this.
Despite cries of fake news, with warm words and platitudes to women’s charities and heath causes, it is clear Labour in government actually has a woman problem and it’s coming right from the top."
Mims Davies MP said:
For too long, a woman’s experience of the health service has been one of being pushed from pillar to post.
Crucially, women’s voices have been ignored and responses to their pain, suffering, poor sex lives and traumatic births have been too slow. Overall, women have a sense of being forgotten. Some 2.4 million more women were in work under our Conservative Government.
Pain and suffering were affecting too many women and their ability to remain in the labour market, resulting in early retirement or not having their true career potential fulfilled.
We took direct action, crucially, by listening to women’s experiences. We had almost 100,000 responses to our call for evidence on the gender health gap. We appointed Dame Lesley Regan as the woman’s health ambassador, and Helen Tomlinson as the cross-government menopause ambassador to find out the experience of women employed in different sectors. We delivered and funded new women’s health hubs and created joined-up services in the community.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists estimates that removing the requirement of integrated care boards to have a woman’s health hub will impact 600,000 women on waiting lists in England, creating longer waits, disease progression that could be prevented, and resulting in more women attending A&E, unable to work, care or live a fulfilled life.
Labour’s manifesto said that it will prioritise women’s health. Women are now reported to be a lobby group, relegated to being unheard once again.
Will the Minister confirm whether it is true that the targets to deal with women’s needs will be dropped? If so, what is her justification for that?
Will she be delivering on the roundly welcomed women’s health strategy from 2022?
Mims continued:
A total of 1,300 families gave evidence to the all-party group on birth trauma. What are the plans to drive up maternity safety standards across the country?
Will there be a response to that?
Will Dame Lesley Regan be sacked, will she remain the women’s health ambassador, or will she be replaced, as Helen Tomlinson was, by someone who seems more interested in selling books than in delivering on the ground for women? What steps are being taken on sex-specific language in health communications and guidance that relate to women’s individual health issues and biological needs?
Amidst the technical details of the mandate planning guidance, the reality is that these decisions have real impacts for families and women have been worried by recent reports in my constituency and many others.
And so they should be – as the word women is not even in this NHS updated planning document.
The truth is this promise breaking Labour Government, despite warm words and platitudes to women’s charities and causes actually has a woman problem and its coming from the top.
From briefing against their own women to letting down women in all our communities.
Every one knows somebody waiting in pain and once again this government is prepared to let it be women.
