Executive summary

We are seeking your views to help inform the development of the government’s Women’s Health Strategy.

This call for evidence is seeking to collect views on women’s health. It will run for a period of 14 weeks and is open to everyone aged 16 and over.

The easiest way to participate in the call for evidence as an individual is by completing the public survey.

We also welcome written submissions from individuals or organisations who have expertise in women’s health, such as researchers and third-sector organisations.

This consultation closes at 11:45pm on 13 June 2021.

The Women’s Health Strategy

The Women’s Health Strategy for England will set out an ambitious and positive new agenda on women’s health, with women’s voices at the centre. We are launching this call for evidence to inform the priorities, content and actions within the Women’s Health Strategy. This exercise will ensure that the strategy is evidence-based and reflects what women identify as priorities.

There is strong evidence of the need for greater focus on women’s health and to recognise and act on the inequalities.

In the UK, women have a longer life expectancy than men, with life expectancy at birth being 83.1 for women and 79.4 years for men in 2017 to 2019. However, women in the UK spend a greater proportion of their lives in ill health and disability. Women spend around over a quarter of their lives in ill health or disability, compared with around one fifth for men. Moreover, in recent years, healthy life expectancy has fallen for women but has remained stable for men.

There are also differences in life expectancy across socio-economic groups. Taking action on women’s health will support our commitment to extend healthy life expectancy by 5 years by 2035.

Work to develop the Women’s Health Strategy will consider women’s health over the life course, from adolescence through to older age.

We want to better understand women’s experiences of health, and the health and care system. The strategy will focus on the needs of all women, as we recognise that women are not all the same, and that women will have individual needs and concerns. The government is ambitious about tackling health inequalities and the wider determinants of health, and a better understanding of the specific needs and areas of inequality faced by women will support this important work.

We want to understand more about issues that only affect women (for example, gynaecological conditions or menstrual health), and also issues that affect both men and women but may be more prevalent in women, or affect men and women differently.

This call for evidence seeks views on 6 core themes that connect different areas of women’s health across the life course.

1. Placing women’s voices at the centre of their health and care
2. Improving the quality and accessibility of information and education on women’s health
3. Ensuring the health and care system understands and is responsive to women’s health and care needs across the life course
4. Maximising women’s health in the workplace
5. Ensuring research, evidence and data support improvements in women’s health
6. Understanding and responding to the impacts of COVID-19 on women’s health

How to respond

• The aim of this call for evidence is to inform the priorities, content and actions within the Women’s Health Strategy.
• The easiest way to participate in the call for evidence as an individual is by completing the public survey. This will help us better understand women’s experiences of health, and the health and care system.
• There is also an easy read version of the online survey.
• Due to COVID-19, we cannot normally accept survey responses by post. However, if you or your service users cannot use the online survey, please email whscallforevidence@dhsc.gov.uk for a copy of the survey in PDF format.
• We also welcome written submissions from individuals and organisations with expertise in women’s health. Written submission can include the contribution of data, research and other reports of relevance, and must be limited to 10 pages.
• Read further guidance on written submissions.
• Submit written submissions in Word or PDF format here
• If you have any technical problems with using the online survey or if you cannot send your submission via the online portal, please log the issue by emailing whscallforevidence@dhsc.gov.uk. Please do not send any personal information to this email.

For full details of the consultation and how to respond go to https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/womens-health-strategy-call-for-evidence/womens-health-strategy-call-for-evidence

May 5, 2021