Government response to the Women and Equalities Committee’s first report of session 2024 to 2025: women’s reproductive health conditions (5 March 2025)

Summary

The government's response to the recommendations made in the Women and Equalities Committee: Women’s reproductive health conditions report.

The government agrees with the overarching aims of the findings and recommendations for improving women’s health outcomes and experiences. The government acknowledges the impact that reproductive health conditions have on women’s lives, relationships, and participation in education and the workforce. 

Content

The report acknowledges that, since the publication of the Women’s Health Strategy for England, some progress has been made, including:

• the appointment of the Women’s Health Ambassador
• work to build trust with women from marginalised groups
• improved research into reproductive health conditions.

However, we recognise that much more needs to be done to support women with reproductive health conditions, particularly around:

• listening to women
• improving information and education
• improving access to healthcare services.

Tackling waiting lists, including for gynaecology, is a significant part of the government’s health mission Build an NHS Fit for the Future.

NHS England’s Reforming elective care for patients plan, published in January 2025, builds on the investments already made with an ambitious vision for the future of diagnostic testing to ensure that patients receive more timely, accessible and accurate diagnostic testing, including for women’s reproductive health conditions. It sets out how the NHS will:

• reform elective care services
• meet the 18-week referral-to-treatment standard,

For gynaecology specifically, NHS England will support the delivery of innovative models, offering patients care closer to home and piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres.

The government is also working with NHS England and the Women’s Health Ambassador on how to take forward the Women’s Health Strategy for England, by aligning it to the government’s missions under the Plan for Change and forthcoming 10 Year Health Plan.

The 10 Year Health Plan will set out how we tackle the inequities that lead to poor health, including those for women. As part of this, the government is committed to setting an explicit target to close the Black and Asian maternal mortality gaps.