Dropping a target to rollout women’s health hubs across England would have ‘serious consequences’, the CSP warned.
The hubs are intended to provide a wide range of services under one roof, including pelvic health physiotherapy, mammograms, cervical smears, contraception, menopause support, and diagnosis and treatment for common gynaecological issues.
Last year, members of the CSP were invited to contribute to the design and implementation of these hubs, with a specific focus on enhancing access to pelvic health physiotherapy.
The CSP also called for the rollout to continue in its submission to the government’s forthcoming 10-year plan.
Targets to be dropped
In NHS guidance to be published this week, however, the target of a full rollout is expected to be dropped, along with a number of other milestones.
CSP director Rob Yeldham warned that scaling back the target for women’s health hubs could lead to delays in essential services.
He said: 'Without a target, the much-needed rollout of these important services will stall, and health inequalities will widen.
It is essential that the rollout continues, including physio-led pelvic health services, to ensure that women can access the vital support they need.
'Failing to do so would have serious consequences for women’s physical and mental health and would also undermine efforts to help more people remain in work.'
As part of the broader women’s health strategy, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England had previously announced funding allocations of £25 million to expand women’s health hubs, with an additional £11 million earmarked from April 2024 to fund national pelvic services aimed at preventing and treating pelvic floor dysfunction, as well as supporting postnatal recovery.
The previous guidance committed to establishing at least one women’s health hub in every integrated care board by December 2024 but this target remains unmet, with approximately 10 per cent of areas falling behind schedule.
Inconsistent funding
Kate Lough, chair of the POGP also expressed her disappointment at the news.
She said: 'This decision is a further example of inconsistent and short-term funding for projects deemed as priorities in women's health. Although the goal for maternity safety is planned to be protected, there is already concern about preservation of the funding for the perinatal pelvic health services initiative.
It is vital that politically driven changes to the NHS remain embedded in evidence-based care derived from high-quality population studies and research.
Essential cost management of the NHS should not remove the option of equitable and accessible healthcare for women at the time of need in both acute and preventative fields of wellbeing.
The decision to scale back the goals comes at a time when the CSP and many other organisations are calling for more focused and accessible healthcare for women, and concerns are growing about the potential impacts on both individual health outcomes and broader public health efforts.
The CSP is now waiting for NHS England to release its annual planning guidance on 30 January, to ascertain what other goals for the current financial year are being scrapped.
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