WOMEN deserve better healthcare. That is why the Women’s Health Strategy has been renewed, to give women and girls greater choice and power over their health.

We inherited an NHS on its knees, and women often bear the brunt of that failure. When women’s symptoms are dismissed or misunderstood, care becomes unsafe and ineffective; improving women’s health, therefore, is fundamental to fixing our NHS.

The renewed strategy looks at medical misogyny and proposes action to address it, recognising that the dismissal of women’s pain and concerns is a systemic issue. Many women are passed from one specialist to another, waiting years for diagnoses of conditions such as endometriosis or PCOS. Others undergo invasive gynaecological procedures with inadequate pain relief, or face unacceptably long waits for specialist care. I have met some of these women here in Truro & Falmouth.

Since Labour came into office, we have begun to make progress. In our first year, we delivered five-million extra NHS appointments, helping people access care sooner. Emergency hormonal contraception is now free from pharmacies across England, removing a barrier that disproportionately affects women. And menopause questions are being included in routine NHS health checks for over-40s, so symptoms are recognised earlier and not treated as an afterthought.

Menstrual problems and menopause will also be among the first nine pathways in the new virtual hospital, NHS Online, launching in 2027, to bring specialist advice closer to home. And a new £1-million programme is being launched to improve menstrual health education for girls.

Specialist care is improving. The gynaecology waiting list has been cut by more than 30,000, and updated NICE guidelines on endometriosis, published in November 2024, should be helping women access faster diagnosis and treatment. Although we know diagnosis times for conditions such as endometriosis can take eight or nine years, so there is a very long way to go to improve.

Maternity care is another focus. Over £140-million has been invested in neonatal infrastructure, alongside new programmes tackling the leading causes of avoidable brain injury during labour. A wider package of initiatives aims to reduce stillbirths, neonatal brain injury, neonatal deaths and preterm birth. Locally, maternity care at Royal Cornwall Hospital is rated good by the CQC but there is always room for improvement and I am so glad that plans for a new women and children’s unit are underway.

Martha’s Rule is being piloted in maternity and neonatal units across 14 trusts, giving families the right to request a second opinion when they are worried. A Perinatal Culture and Leadership Programme is helping develop the culture across maternity and neonatal services, while targeted schemes are supporting midwife retention and expanding maternal mental health services. Too many women have been trying to cope alone.

The Baby Loss Certificate scheme has been extended to include all historic losses, which is so important for people who have lost their babies.

We cannot fix the NHS without fixing women’s health. This renewed Women’s Health Strategy show that women’s health matters and is firmly on this government’s agenda.