NHS accused of 'medical misogyny' as Wes Streeting launches major women's health overhaul

The Ilford North MP has committed to confronting what he describes as "medical misogyny", saying women have for too long been let down by a system that "gaslights women, treating their pain as an inconvenience and their symptoms as an overreaction".

He added: "Women's voices must be central to delivering effective, respectful and empathetic care. We need to hit medical misogyny where it hurts the wallet.

"Today's renewed strategy will tackle the issues women face every day and ensure no woman is left fighting to be heard."

The strategy introduces a new standard of care guaranteeing women access to pain relief during invasive procedures, including coil fittings and hysteroscopies.

A pilot scheme will tie healthcare provider funding directly to patient feedback, effectively allowing women to withhold payment for private health services following poor experiences.

Streeting said: "Whether it's being passed from one appointment to another for conditions like endometriosis and fibroids, or a lack of proper pain relief during invasive procedures, through to having to navigate symptoms for years before receiving a diagnosis, it's clear the system is failing women."

The government is also taking steps to reduce diagnostic delays for conditions such as endometriosis, which currently takes up to a decade for many patients to be confirmed.

The government is investing £1million in a menstrual education programme designed to help girls distinguish between normal and abnormal periods.

Clinical pathways for certain women's health conditions will be redesigned to accelerate both diagnosis and treatment.

Ministers have also pledged to examine support available to families who suffer repeated pregnancy losses.

A new "single referral point" system aims to direct women to appropriate care on their first attempt, eliminating the frustrating cycle of being passed between appointments.

The strategy builds upon the original 10-year women's health plan introduced by the Conservative government in 2022, though a recent parliamentary report warned that some successful initiatives, including women's health hubs that had shortened waiting lists, risked being scaled back under broader NHS reforms.

A report published last month by the Women and Equalities Committee concluded that gynaecological and menstrual health had not received sufficient priority from the government.

Sarah Owen, the Labour MP who chairs the committee, said: "This would be a disaster for girls' and women's menstrual healthcare, when it is in dire need of more support."

She added: "It is a national scandal that nearly half a million women are on hospital gynaecology waiting lists when there are effective treatments that could be administered in primary and community care, if only they could access them."

Dr Sue Mann, NHS England's women's health director, acknowledged that too many women had been dismissed when presenting serious symptoms affecting their daily lives.

Women's health organisations offered cautious support for the renewed strategy, with Endometriosis UK chief executive Emma Cox emphasising that decisive action would be essential.