PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE
Health Inequalities - 25 November 2025 (Commons/Commons Chamber)

Women’s health is a priority for me, for my Department and for the Government. Since I last answered questions in the House we have extended the NHS health check to include the menopause for the first time, following the brilliant campaigning of Menopause Mandate and others. We have also made the morning-after pill free in pharmacies. The Prime Minister is co-ordinating work across Government to tackle violence against women and girls, and in the health and care services we will play our part in protecting and supporting victims. I have also asked the Government’s women’s health ambassador to renew the women’s health strategy that was introduced by the last Government, so we can ensure that it is driving the right progress in the future.

I thank my hon. Friend for describing Rachel’s experience. We have introduced Jess’s rule and we are rolling out Martha’s rule, so that, whether in primary or acute care, patients’ voices will be heard and they will be given the power to ensure that health professionals are listening and responding appropriately. However, my hon. Friend is right to acknowledge that much of this arises from medical misogyny. It is not just a case of changing rules and regulations; it is a case of changing culture and practice, so that women are not just seen but heard and listened to. That is a fundamental problem that we determined to address—and of course I should be delighted to meet Rachel to hear about her experience at first hand.

I call the Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee.

Diethylstilbestrol, or DES, was prescribed to women until the 1980s to treat miscarriage. Those who took it were themselves at greater risk of breast cancer, and their daughters have a higher risk of rare cervical cancers. It is estimated that a whopping 300,000 women have been affected. Two weeks ago the Secretary of State made an apology to victims, but they rightly want more than “sorry”, and they have pointed out that the current screening regime is insufficient. Will the Secretary of State meet me, and campaigners and victims, in order to understand how this was allowed to happen, who will be held accountable, and how those women can go about securing compensation for this egregious scandal?

I thank the Chair of the Select Committee for raising that extremely serious issue. I am glad that she has drawn it to the House’s attention. I have apologised, on behalf of the state, for the failure that occurred and for the harm that has arisen as a result. My hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth West (Jessica Toale) has been campaigning diligently, and the DES Justice UK campaigners have done a magnificent job in raising public awareness. I am always delighted to meet the Chair of the Select Committee because I know which side my bread is buttered on, but I should be particularly delighted to meet her to discuss this specific issue.

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

The impact of health inequalities on women’s health are starkest when it comes to maternity care, with many NHS trusts requiring improvement. Black and Asian women, and those from the most deprived communities, are far more likely to suffer the worst outcomes or even lose their babies. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives have vocally opposed the removal of the ringfence from the service delivery fund, saying that funding provided to drive change following the Ockenden review has disappeared at the stroke of a pen. Will the Secretary of State commit himself to reinstating that ringfence, and to ensuring that all the immediate and essential actions arising from that review of the failings at Shrewsbury and Telford hospital NHS trust are taken as soon as possible?

I thank the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for her question. She is right to raise the inequalities at the heart of poor maternity care, as well as failures in services overall. We are taking a number of actions, but on the issue of funding specifically—I think this will become a recurrent theme across a range of issues during this Parliament—the approach that we are taking as a Government is to try to devolve more power, responsibility and resources to the frontline. As we do so, we are removing national ringfences.

I appreciate what the hon. Lady says about the risk. It is important that we, and no doubt Parliament, scrutinise the situation to make sure that outcomes across the board improve and that the focus that this House wants to bring to issues like maternity safety is delivered in practice, but I think we are right to drive at the issue of devolution. Decisions are better taken within communities, close to communities and at a local-system level, but she is right to be vigilant about this issue, and we on this side of the House are absolutely open to challenge. If systems are not acting in the way that we want and it is having an adverse impact, we will reconsider.