The first women’s health hubs have launched in Wales this week, bringing menopause, contraception and menstrual health services closer to home.
By March, there will be a hub in every health board, tailored to meet local needs. Some will operate over multiple sites and others will be accessed online but they will all adhere to the same holistic approach to women’s health.
The hubs will improve access to vital healthcare services through extended clinics, education sessions and online guidance and signposting.
They have been designed with women to fit around women’s lives. Some services will be referral-based and others will be open access.
Today [Thursday, January 29] Sarah Murphy, the Minister with responsibility for Women’s Health, will meet women and clinicians at Hywel Dda University Health Board first pilot hub at Padarn Surgery, Aberystwyth.
The Minister said:
“Women’s health hubs will make it easier for women in Wales to get care when they need it and bring that care closer to home.
“The two very different provisions I will have visited in Swansea and Aberystwyth over the past week reflect the wide variety of ways health boards are meeting the brief of tackling health inequalities and making sure women’s symptoms are not dismissed.
“As the pathfinder hubs, and the new services linked to them, are rolled out we’ll be listening to women’s feedback and adapting to make sure we are building a health service which meets the needs of women and girls, now and for generations to come.”
The Aberystwyth clinic is GP and nurse led, offering menopause, menstrual health and contraception services alongside already established pelvic physiotherapy and bladder and bowel nurse-led services. Eventually women living in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire will also have access to a virtual multidisciplinary platform linked to the board’s hubs.
Last week, the Minister attended an open physio session for women in Swansea on pelvic floor health. The session is a new service being delivered in the community as part of the virtual hub being developed by Swansea Bay UHB.
Mr Alan Treharne, Consultant Gynaecologist at Hywel Dda University Health Board and Clinical Director for the Ceredigion Community and Integrated Medicine Group, said:
“The pilot at Padarn Surgery is working well and we are looking forward to developing seven women’s health hubs based around our seven GP clusters across the Hywel Dda area. These hubs bring together new ideas and practical care, helping women living in mid and west Wales to get the support they need as close to home as possible.
“This is a great opportunity for us in Hywel Dda to keep testing new ways of delivering care, supported by the Bevan Commission through its exemplar and fellowship projects. As clinicians developing these health hubs, we believe it gives us the ability to deliver care faster, more holistically and with high standards.
“We are pleased that Welsh Government has given us the funding to develop the women’s hubs. This means we can support women with their journey through menstrual health, contraception and menopause at locations in the communities where they live, making their care journey easier and more personal.”
Dr Helen Munro, Clinical Lead, National Strategic Network for Women’s Health, said:
“These new women’s health hubs represent a meaningful shift in how we deliver care across Wales. By bringing menopause, menstrual health, contraception and pelvic health services together in one accessible, community‑based model, we are removing barriers that have too often prevented women from getting timely support.
“What matters most is that these hubs have been shaped by women’s experiences and designed around the realities of their lives. As services expand across every health board, we have a real opportunity to listen, respond and build a system that treats women’s health with the priority and respect it deserves.”
The hubs are part the Women’s Health Plan for Wales that was published last year. The plan, created by the National Strategic Clinical Network for Women’s Health, part of NHS Wales Performance and Improvement, sets out how NHS organisations in Wales will close the gender health gap by providing better health services for women, ensuring they are listened to and their health needs are understood.
It includes over 60 actions across eight priority areas to improve healthcare for women throughout their lifetime, based on feedback from around 4,000 women across Wales.
Each health board has received an additional £300,000 this financial year to support the development of the pathfinder women’s health hubs. They will be evaluated later this year.
