DHSC consultation outcome: Results of the ‘Women’s Health – Let’s talk about it’ survey (updated 13 April 2022)

Summary

The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) launched a call for evidence in March 2021 to inform the first-ever government-led Women’s Health Strategy for England. This report focuses on the survey component of the consultation.

Nearly 100,000 people in England got in touch to share:

• their personal views and experiences as a woman
• the experiences of a female family member, friend or partner
• their reflections as a self-identified health or care professional.

The results highlight priority areas for action and further research and underpin DHSC’s vision statement for England’s Women’s Health Strategy (published in December 2021). The full strategy will be published in spring 2022.

Content

Priority topics

The top 5 topics respondents want DHSC to prioritise for inclusion are:

• gynaecological conditions (63%)
• fertility, pregnancy, pregnancy loss and postnatal support (55%)
• the menopause (48%)
• menstrual health (47%)
• mental health (39%).

This selection varies most notably by age, with topics rising in importance as they correspond with each stage of a woman’s life course.

Other popular topics include research into health issues or medical conditions that affect women (34%), gynaecological cancers (30%), and the health impacts of violence against women and girls (30%).