PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(28 August 2026)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she is considering the potential merits of additional a) support and b) training to be put in place to address misogyny in the healthcare system, with regard to the impact this has on treatment of reproductive issues.

Asked by:
Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat)

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England, published in April 2026, recognises that women have been dismissed for far too long and that this is unacceptable. The strategy also explicitly recognises that women’s pain is too often dismissed, normalised, or ignored, and treats this as a systemic failure, not isolated poor practice.

Health professionals need to listen to women and respond appropriately, and our new multiprofessional capability framework for women's healthcare in community settings, developed in partnership with Skills for Health, will set out basic, intermediate, and advanced skills, and will embed trauma-informed practice. This will address the longstanding pattern of women's symptoms being dismissed or normalised.

We also recognise the importance of ensuring healthcare professionals are appropriately trained and informed about women’s health conditions. The General Medical Council has introduced the Medical Licensing Assessment to encourage a better understanding of common women’s health problems among all doctors as they start their careers. In addition, women's health is included in the Royal College of General Practitioners curriculum for trainee general practitioners, including gynaecology, sexual health, and breast health.

Answered by:
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