NHS in Humber and North Yorkshire Celebrates International Women's Day showcasing Initiatives to Improve Women's Health Outcomes

Through the 'Women Living Well Longer Programme', twenty-four Primary Care Networks in Humber and North Yorkshire have become Women's Health Hubs, covering over half of the Primary Care Networks across our geography. This is a significant achievement against A national NHS target of a single Women's Health Hub in each ICB area.

The network of Hubs will provide access to better quality care for women’s health issues closer to their homes. Clinicians in each Hub are being upskilled through completion of the BMS Management of Menopause certificate and training in fitting of intra-uterine devices (long-acting reversible contraception).

Through the development of the Hubs, an active network of Women's Health Champions has been created. This committed and enthusiastic community consists of GPs, practice nurses, clinical pharmacists, social prescribers and support staff to help undertake innovative improvement projects to improve patient access and quality of care. Champions also have access to learning and development opportunities in women’s health.

Women's voices are at the heart of this initiative. Feedback from patients has highlighted that women wait a long time for diagnosis of gynaecological conditions, that they have health problems which really impact on their quality of life, that they struggle to access provision, that they would like more good quality information and that they feel like they are not always listened to.  

Some of the main health needs of women in Humber and North Yorkshire cover:

• Menstrual health
• Gynaecological conditions
• Contraception
• HPV vaccinations
• Cervical Screening
• Gynaecological caners
• Sexual health and wellbeing
• Pregnancy and fertility
• Pelvic floor health
• Breast cancer screening

Dr Naomi Chinn, Clinical Lead for Women Living Well Longer at Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, said: "Women's health is a priority for us, and we are committed to ensuring that every woman has access to the support and services they need. By listening to women's voices and incorporating their real-life experiences, we can create a healthcare system that truly meets their needs and empowers them to manage their own health."

This initiative is also support by data and insight including:

• Women born in Humber and North Yorkshire have a life expectancy of 83.1 but they can only expect to live 63.9 of these years in good health.
• 25% of women in our community are economically inactive in compared to 20% of men
• Nearly 13% of women and girls live in the most deprived 10% of our neighbourhoods
• Half of women over the age of 50 experience symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse and 1 in 10 women by the age of 80 have had surgery for prolapse
• Maternal obesity is 25.6% compared t the national average of 18.3%
• Teenage pregnancy rate is 4.9% in compared to the national average of 3.2%

This year’s International Women’s Day serves as a reminder of the importance of women's health and the ongoing commitment to providing better support and resources for the 867,000 women living in our region.

Further support and information is available on the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership website: https://humberandnorthyorkshire.org.uk/our-work/workforce/womens-health-and-the-menopause/ and the NHS UK website: Women's health - NHS

More on this years International Women's Day campaign can be found on their website: www.internationalwomensday.com/